Lily Potter and the Goblet of Fire
by talulahbridge
Summary: Lily Potter is about to get the chance of a lifetime to study away from prying eyes at a place where her secret crush is. During her time there she will grow and mature as a woman as well as playing with magic and facing a dangerous situation. Read on .
1. Chapter 1

**AN: This is the start of my 'next generation' story. I wasn't sure if I would get into it as much when my focus was not Harry/Ginny but so far I am loving writing this story, I am quite a way into it now and thought it was time to put it on here and see what other people thought. Please read and review, I take ideas and viewpoints into account and love to know what people are thinking! It will be heavily romance based with some action/adventure too and basically is a story about a girl growing up at school with boys, work and other distractions around, struggled with a title so I stole a JK Rowling one so here goes my disclaimer, the title is hers along with many of the characters mentioned though I have use artistic lisence in showing what I think happened to them. I have tried to stay as true to her family as possible the only exception being Luna and Neville**

**Please read on and review!!**

**P.S. My chapters are much longer than before, am trying to average about 7000 words each!**

Chapter 1- Summers End

Sixteen year old Lily Luna Potter stared out of the window at the full moon which was shining brightly in a cloudless sky, the stars were clearly visible and she found herself looking for familiar constellations that she had learned to recognise in her astrology lessons at school. Resting her head in her hands on the sill she stared forwards and looked down the back yards of the houses on her street, they were all long and thin and housed an assortment of patio furniture and children's play things unlike her own which she now gazed down at, the only thing in her back yard was the broomshed which housed her own, her brothers' and her father's firebolts, still the fastest and most popular brooms in the wizarding world twenty five years after their first appearance. She longed to go out on her broom and feel the wind flying through her long dark, curly hair but she was not allowed to go out flying at home as they lived in the middle of a muggle area and although their house could not be seen by anyone, muggle or magical, without knowing its address, once you left the protective enchantments anyone could see you.

She sighed longingly but then remembered that in a few days time she would be able to fly whenever she wanted to and a smile crept onto her face as she began to think about going back to school. Lily loved being at home and had had a wonderful summer with her family but she loved being at Hogwarts too and after a couple of months away from her friends she was looking forward to getting back into the Griffindor common room and catching up with everyone and most importantly she was looking forward to being there without any of her older brothers watching her every move. Lily loved her brothers and her adoptive cousin, Vernon, who she had grown closer and closer to over the years but the more she had matured during their teenage years the more overprotective they had all become at school and she was finally looking forward to being able to do what she wanted without any other Potter eyes watching over her.

The youngest of her brothers, Albus, had finished school in July and was training to be an alchemist for the Ministry, he had been the lesser of three evils in terms of watching over her, but he still had his eye out in the common room and liked to know where she was almost every day. Vernon and James had been the worst, as she had grown and matured Lily's body had become curvier and more attractive and she had caught the attention of many boys throughout the school however if anyone of the opposite sex had approached the youngest Potter sibling then Vernon or James were two paces behind them scaring them off within minutes. But this time, this year she would be free, free to talk to whoever she liked, whenever she liked without having to answer to anyone else in her family. Some of her cousins would still be there, however all but one of them were younger than her now so they wouldn't demand to know her every move.

She glanced over to her half packed trunk and decided she ought to get it finished before her mother came in and started nagging her to do it, they were spending the following day at the Burrow and then Sunday was September 1st and she would be boarding the Hogwarts express for eleven o clock. Jumping up fro m her window seat she began to fold her remaining school clothes and packed them along with her other belongings carefully into the large, heavy chest and closed it ready for Sunday morning then she left her bedroom and headed downstairs to find her father. He was sitting by the fire in the kitchen talking to her eldest brother, James, he was almost twenty and currently training at the Ministry to be an auror, much to her parents chagrin. They had tried to explain to him how dangerous a life it was and why Harry had given it all up but he would not be swayed from his determination to follow in his father's footsteps and catch dark and evil wizards. They now knew the whole story of Harry's defeat of Lord Voldemort as it was a topic always taught in Defence Against the Dark Arts lessons in the NEWT year, once James and Vernon were about to enter their sixth year at school Ginny and Harry had sat them all down and told them the story of their past. They had all been in awe of their father and the sacrifices that he had made to save the rest of the world and the information had done nothing to sway James from his determination to follow in his footsteps.

"Hey Loony," James joked when he saw her enter the room, they had got past the point where it annoyed Lily when she was called that and she now saw it as her eldest brother's affectionate way of naming her.

"Hey brother," she replied giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, Vernon and Albus were still living at Grimmauld place but James had moved into a flat with Salamander Longbottom the previous summer and she missed him terribly when she was at home.

Vernon had had his muggle money released to him when he turned eighteen but he had kept it a bank, he could easily have used it to buy himself a house but he was a fully fledged wizard now and had asked Lily's parents if he could stay on in Grimmauld place even though he had come of age in both the magical and muggle world. Ginny and Harry had been overjoyed when he asked and told him that their house would be his home for as long as he needed it.

"You all packed for school honey?" her father asked as she took a seat next to James, she nodded her reply, "Good, good, we're going to miss you again Sweetheart, mind you it will be strange having Albus around again now he won't be going back with you." She smiled at him and thought once more about how good it would be for her not to have him at school with her, though she would miss him dearly.

"How's training going brother dear?" she asked turning to James.

"Tiring," he replied, "you never get a minute!"

"I tried to tell you," Harry interrupted, "you don't get a minute when you're out there chasing and fighting!"

"I know, that's what they keep telling us, it's not that bad really though, you get used to it!"

"Well just be careful out there? It won't be long before you pass out from your training now will it?"

"Two months to go, think you'll be able to come down from school Loony?"

"We'll make sure she can!" Harry answered for her.

"Well, I'd better be going, two o clock at the Burrow tomorrow isn't it?" James asked as he stood up and headed towards the fire, he stretched and yawned as Harry nodded in response and then with a wave of his hand he stepped into the fireplace and was gone.

"Cocoa?" Harry asked his daughter as he rose to make himself a cup, she nodded in reply and the two of them sat in the chairs by the fire talking about nothing in particular and enjoying a few rare moments of being alone together as father and daughter, while she was away at school Harry missed her deeply and when she was home there was always someone else around, they just didn't get the chance to be on their own like they used to be when she was a child.

As they sat chatting Harry realised what a beautiful young woman she had grown into, she would be seventeen in October and he could hardly believe she had grown up so quickly, it seemed only months ago that he had held Ginny in his arms while she gave birth to his precious little daughter, the apple of his eye and the only other female to ever steal his heart like Ginny had done. He sighed as he realised that she would grow more and more over the next year while she was away at school and he knew that she would become popular with the boys just like her mother had been. These were the days when he wished he had stopped at the boys but he also knew he would not have missed out on having a daughter even if it did mean he wanted to sit out in the yard with a shotgun and scare off any boy who so much as looked her way. However he knew she was a blossoming woman and she would be just as interested in them so he would have to deal with it, besides if he tried to scare off any members of the opposite sex he knew he would meet with the wrath of Ginny Potter and that was something he definitely didn't want to rouse.

As if on cue his wife suddenly appeared in the fireplace in front of them, she stepped out and smiled at her daughter and husband sitting cosily by the fire, "How was Luna?" Harry asked her as she dusted ash from her robes.

"The same as always, trying to persuade Consuela to get all her things packed for school, but failing miserably! How about you honey?" she asked looking at her only daughter.

"Everything's ready Mum," she replied smiling.

"You just missed James," Harry explained.

"Oh, how is he? I feel like I haven't seen him for ages."

"Busy and tired as always, but I remember the days," Harry didn't look wistful about them though like he might have done in the past, although it had been a long time since he had returned briefly to work at the ministry he still tried constantly to prove to his wife that he did not miss working there. "He'll be at the Burrow tomorrow Sweetheart so you can have a good catch up then." Ginny moved across the room to sit on her husband's knee and he wrapped his arms around her waist, Lily watched them and beamed.

She had always thought her parents were the most magical people in the world, she admired how much they were still in love with each other and even though she and her brothers would moan at them for being too affectionate in public she secretly found it sweet that they were like that after being married for over twenty years. She knew they had been through a lot to be together, they had told the story of her father's childhood and his destiny to kill Lord Voldemort and they knew that for a while they had been separated, a separation which had lasted a few years longer than they had wanted it to, due to the fact they weren't honest with each other. But when she looked at them she could see and feel deep love and all she wanted for herself was to find something as wonderful and deep as they had, eventually. Until then she was prepared to be young, free and single for a few more years yet. Looking back at her parents she saw them deep in conversation about her eldest brother and decided to leave them alone and retire to her room.

"Goodnight," she called to them both as she stood up and headed for the door.

"Goodnight Sweetheart," they both replied.

The next morning passed quickly as Lily checked once more that she had everything she needed for school, they would not be back until late and she knew that a day at the Burrow with her enormous family would be tiring so Lily doubted she would have the strength to do anything more than crawl into bed when she got home. A call from her mother downstairs told her that it was 

time to go, she was still underage and had not learned to apparate yet so she still had to floo everywhere and her parents would always use the same transportation method. She knew Vernon and Albus would have apparated already to the Burrow so she hurried down the stairs to the kitchen where her mother and father were waiting for her and telling their ancient house elf to slow down and rest.

Kreacher had been their house elf for all of Lily's life and she loved him like a member of her own family, she had met other younger house elves at the homes of her school friends and had been surprised at how different they were, she knew all about SPEW which was run by her Aunt Hermione and was well aware that in the old days before the second war house elves had been virtual slaves. Although she treated Kreacher with respect and never ordered him to do anything she was still surprised at how much freedom other house elves had, Kreacher rarely left their home unless he had been ordered to and even then he would be on edge until it was time to return, he was an old elf and one who was still tied to the old ways. Of course he was now so old that any tiny task was virtually too much for him to manage, she didn't know exactly how old he was but she was sure it was over a hundred, he stooped so low that his nose almost touched the floor at all times and his hair had disappeared completely, the most he was asked to do these days was make coffee, the rest of the time he was ordered to rest.

"Come on Darling," her mother said interrupting her thoughts, "Mum will be mad if we're late!"

Lily hurried forwards to the fire and jumped in ahead of her parents, "The Burrow," she called and seconds later she arrived in the bustling, cluttered kitchen of her grandparents.

"Lily," her Grandmother, Molly, called as she saw her appear and as she stepped from the flames she was enveloped in a crushing hug, "come in, come in, the others are out in the garden, Rose and Hugo are not here yet but everyone else is!" After kissing her grandmother on the cheek and smiling at her Grandfather, Arthur, who was standing by the back door, she exited the kitchen and made her way to the bottom of the garden where she could see lots of her cousins gathered in the shade of a large tree. Her brothers, and Vernon, were already there sitting at a table with Teddy and Victoire drinking bottles of Butterbeer. The youngest of her cousins, Roxanne and Lucy who were both almost ten were playing a game of gobstones and their respective siblings, Fred and Molly aged thirteen and fourteen were sat beside them enjoying a game of wizard's chess.

"Come and join us sister dear," Albus called when she approached the table, Vernon kicked out a chair for her next to him and she sat down.

"Where are Dominique and Louis?" Lily asked directing her question at their older sister, Victoire. She was now in her mid twenties and engaged to her father's godson Teddy Lupin, Lily along with all of her female cousins and Victoire's sister were to be bridesmaids for the beautiful, part Veela cousin of hers the following summer. Her sister Dominique was a year older than Lily and about to enter her final year at Hogwarts, Louis was a year younger and would be starting his OWL year the following day. Victoire, Dominique and Louis had been the only Weasley's ever to end up in Ravenclaw house and not Griffindor and they all firmly believed it was their mother's blood which had done it.

"They are down by the river entertaining Raulph," her cousin replied, "he has been visiting my parents for the weekend with his father," Lily felt her heart jump a little at the mention of Raulph. He was the son of Victor Krum, a once famous Bulgarian Quidditch player who had been at Durmstrang school for witches and wizards when her own parents had been at school, and her Aunt Fleur's younger sister Gabrielle. She knew that her father along with her Aunt Fleur, Victor Krum and an unfortunate Hogwarts student who had died, had been contestants in the Triwizard Tournament, a dangerous magical event which had been resurrected when her father was in his fourth year. The results of the tournament had been devastating but this was due to the fact that death eaters and Lord Voldemort had been trying to get their hands on Harry. It had been resurrected again a few years previous but stricter guidelines and controls meant that it was a much safer event these days and they did not broadcast to the wizarding world when another tournament would take place, it had been only three years since the last one which had been held at Beauxbatons, the school which Fleur had attended.

Since their days in the tournament Victor and Fleur had remained close friends and he had married her sister when she was not long out of her days at Beuxbatons. This was much to the chagrin of her Uncle Ron, who seemed not to like Victor for some reason and had liked him even less in the last few years since he had split up with Raulph's mother.

"What was that smile for?" Victoire asked teasingly when she noticed it creep up on Lily's face.

"What?" Lily replied trying to look innocent, "I don't know what you mean!" She gazed sheepishly down at her feet and avoided all the Weasley and Potter eyes now staring at her.

"Do I sense a little crush Loony?" James laughed at her and she turned bright red immediately. Raulph Krum was a handsome young man, he was a year older than Lily and about to enter his final year at Durmstrang. He had rugged good looks which he had inherited from his father and had a strong muscular body which he looked after, he had not followed in his father's footsteps on the Quidditch field, he had taken the role of beater rather than seeker and this position required a lot of upper arm strength as you were constantly beating heavy grey balls at opposing players. He was a popular boy but it had not gone to his head, he was rather modest about his good looks and popularity preferring to stay out of the limelight, he was kind and polite to everyone he met, never looking down on people or putting them up on a pedestal and all of these things combined to make him a rather attractive man and over the last few years Lily had not failed to see this everytime he was visiting his Aunt Fleur.

"Leave her alone," Vernon barked back protectively.

"Thank you Vernon," he returned smiling at her cousin who always stood up for her.

"You're welcome Honey, I know how hard it is when you're in love," he chuckled and Lily swiped out at him catching him on the arm off guard, he was swinging back on two legs in his chair and the unexpected tap knocked him off balance so he fell backwards landing on his back with his feet in the air.

The rest of the table erupted in laughter and Lily added, "Serves you right," as she stood up and prepared to walk down to the river in search of Dominique, Louis and Raulph.

"You'll have a fight on your hands if Rose finds out," James called after her, "everyone knows she loves Krum!"

"She's too old for him," Lily called back over her shoulder as she left them behind, fuming at herself for being so obvious and letting out her little secret about her crush on Raulph.

As she reached the river Lily heard his voice calling out, "Dominique, come into the water, it's lovely."

"I don't think so Raulph," she replied, "do you know how long it takes me to do my hair everyday?"

"You women, all you think about it how you look!" he guffawed back at her and then Lily heard her cousin scream as Raulph splashed her from the river, she then peered around the trees to see his muscular upper torso coming out of the slow flowing water. His taught muscles rippled as he dove into the water and began to swim away from Dominique heading to the other side where Louis was sat on a rock laughing hysterically at his sister who was now stood up by the riverbank with her wand pointed at Krum.

"I'll...I'll," she screeched at him as he climbed out onto the same rock as Louis, "I'll hex you!"

"You wouldn't dare," he taunted from the other side of the river sitting on his haunches and glaring defiantly at her, "not while your cousin is watching," he added noticing Lily by the side of the tree, she jumped unaware that she could be seen and her face flushed again as she realised he had seen her watching them.

"Lily," Dominique called to her, "come down and help me, what hex can I cast on this evil man?" she giggled as Lily stepped carefully down to the water's edge.

"Aww, come on Dom, it was only a bit of fun, I didn't mean to wet you, you just have to stop being such a wet blanket!" he laughed at her and she turned back to glare at him menacingly, "I bet Lily would join us in the water, wouldn't you?" he directed the question at her, "she's not as stuffy as you are!"

"Hrumph," Dominique called and then she whipped around and grabbed her things from the grassy patch she had been laid out on, "you can entertain him for a bit, he's driving me mad!" she added leaving Lily still standing by the river as she headed back up to the Burrow.

The two boys were still laughing at her as she disappeared from view and then Raulph re-entered the water and swam back to her side of the river, "You should join us," he said as he approached Lily and began to rise back out of the water, "it's lovely and cool," she barely heard what he said as she was staring intently, perhaps too intently at his strong chest muscles as he walked out of the river and over to a towel he had left by the side. He shook his head and the crop of thick, sandy coloured hair on top of it flicked water in her direction and then came to rest in curtains on either side of his handsome face, she saw that he had intense blue eyes which seemed to shine magically as he looked up at her and said, "Oops, sorry," as he realised he had showered her with droplets.

"It's okay," she said still gazing at him and then realising that she probably looked like a starstruck teenager, she shook her own head and then moved to sit by a rock, "it'll dry," she added, more for something to say and then she looked out at the trees on the opposite bank and saw Louis trying to track a rabbit or something.

"Budge up a little," Raulph said as he made to join her on the rock, he sat down before she had moved and his bare arm caught hers, she gasped a little but he didn't notice as he continued speaking, "all ready for school then Lily?"

"Yes," she replied.

"Are you in your fifth year this time?" he asked.

"Sixth, I did my OWLS this year, Louis is in the fifth year," she gestured across the river to the blonde haired boy who was hiding in some long grass on the edge of the bank.

"I bet you'll be glad to be there without your brothers this time huh? Albus was telling me he finished and has a training course at the Ministry."

"Yes," she replied, "it will be nice not to have them on my back all the time! Wanting to know where I am and who I'm with!"

"I can imagine! Mind you if I had a sister as pretty as you, I would be exactly the same!" he added and then stood up. Lily didn't speak, had he just called her pretty? "I suppose every boy who spoke to you ended up with a black eye, or at least the threat of one!" he laughed, Lily just smiled up at him, "Imagine what a heartbreaker you can be now they are not there to watch over you!" She smiled shyly at him and then he said, "I suppose we should be heading back up there, your Grandmother will have prepared a feast I imagine and teasing your cousin has given me quite an appetite!" he held out a hand to her so she could stand and she took it, he tugged gently and she rose to her feet gracefully holding onto it for a fraction longer than she should have but he didn't say anything about it as he turned and called over to Louis. They waited for a few minutes as the boy made his way back across the river and then Raulph said, "shall we?" and gestured towards the small hill which led back up to the Burrow and, unfortunately Lily thought to herself, the rest of the family.

She didn't get a chance to talk to Raulph again until much later in the day, as they reached the oddly shaped house Lily was taken away by her cousin Rose who was desperate to fill her in on every tiny detail of the date she had had the night before with a curse breaker at Gringotts, clearly she had forgotten all about Raulph, who she barely spoke to as she whisked Lily from his company and over to a quiet corner in the Burrow's dining room. When Lily had heard enough she excused herself and went in search of her parents who she had not actually seen since she had arrived at the Burrow, she found them in the living room with Fleur and Bill, Victor Krum and her Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione. Ron had his arm clamped to Hermione's side as if he was clinging on for dear life and he kept brushing the side of her head with his lips every time Victor spoke, she was about to ask if she could join them when a shrill call from her Grandmother signalled that the feast was ready and she made her way to the kitchen where she found herself seated with Rose, Hugo and her brothers at the opposite end of the table to Raulph. She glanced up at him occasionally and once or twice he seemed to be gazing at her when she looked, he would smile sweetly and then continue to talk to Louis, Fred and Molly who he had been seated with.

By the end of the day, Lily was as she had expected, exhausted. There had been a Quidditch match organised by her Uncle Charlie, who had turned up at the end of the meal with yet another tall and beautiful young woman, the eternal bachelor her Uncle Charlie was the hero of her brothers and most of her male cousins too. Even though he was now in his mid forties, Charlie was still a handsome and fit man who refused to settle down, no matter how much he was badgered by his mother. The initial quidditch play about had become a match when Charlie started organising teams, in total there were twenty quidditch players at the gathering, Percy and his wife Audrey and her Aunts Fleur and Hermione were the only adult members of the family who did not play or even follow quidditch, along with her Grandparents and of the children only Molly, Lucy and Rose did not enjoy a good game of quidditch. Everyone else in the family had been on their house teams at Hogwarts at some point in their school careers, even Dominique and Victoire who were usually quite reserved, had been on the Ravenclaw quidditch team, in fact Dominique would be their captain when they returned to school the following day.

And so with Victor and Raulph equally eager to join in a game, two equal teams with substitutes were organised and a three hour quidditch match ensued. Lily had played on the opposite team to Raulph as seeker, she had inherited her father's spirit of waiting in the wings rather than her mother's love of chasing and she had eventually led her team to victory snatching the struggling snitch right under the nose of her Uncle Charlie who had not been too impressed. She had cheered and laughed as she was chased to the ground by him and then the rest of her team, beaters, Uncle George and Roxanne, chasers, Dominique, Fred and her mother Ginny and goal keeper, Uncle Ron had all formed a protective barrier around her and Charlie had been forced to accept that he had lost to his sixteen year old niece. He bowed out gracefully as her team mates congratulated her and then they all retired back to the Burrow for Molly's second feed of the day where again Lily had found herself at the opposite end of the table to the charming young man who was talking to her Grandmother about her wonderful, large family.

People were beginning to leave and Lily knew that they would be going soon too, Rose had left earlier during the quidditch match to attend a second date with the curse breaker and Lily had taken the opportunity to sit alone by the kitchen range without her constant chatter in her ear. Her brothers were outside again drinking butterbeer with Uncle Charlie, his date had apparated away shortly after the quidditch game and he was now entertaining his nephews with tales of his bachelordom, Percy and Audrey along with George and Angelina had taken their children home after tea so the only other girl still at the Burrow was Dominique who was curled up in the dining room reading a book, Victoire and Teddy had also left after tea and returned to their shared apartment near Diagon Alley. All the other adults, including her grandparents were sat in the living room, Uncle Ron still strangely attached to her Aunt Hermione as he had been all day long.

Lily was enjoying a rare moment of quiet in the Burrow as she stared in to the now barely glowing fire of the range which her grandmother had used to prepare both sumptuous meals that they had eaten that day, she was thinking about returning to school and catching up with her friends who she had not seen since the beginning of the summer. A click from the door made her look up and she was met with the sight of Raulph walking through it, "Oh sorry," he said noticing her in the chair, "I didn't mean to disturb you, it's just getting a bit chilly outside."

"That's okay, you can join me if you like," she replied gesturing to a second chair by the range.

Her heart jumped as he replied, "Thank you," and took the seat she had suggested.

"Is Uncle Charlie still regaling you all with his stories?" she asked him, desperately searching for something to say.

"Yes!"

"And are you all fawning around all over him like a hero?" she chuckled hoping he did not take offence.

"Well everyone else is, me not so much," he replied and she looked at him quizzically, "I am not a great believer in all this dating people here there and everywhere, especially, and I hope I don't offend your family or Charlie but, especially when you are in your forties. I hope to be happily married by then, hopefully well before then in fact, I am more of a one woman man I think, providing I find the right one that is." Lily looked at him with surprise on her face, he was only seventeen yet he seemed to be talking about it so maturely, she knew her brothers would want to settle down and have a family one day but at the moment in their late teens and early twenties Uncle Charlie was a hero, dating a different beautiful woman almost every week and living the single life, she had never heard a boy talk about it as if it was not something they really wanted to do.

"It surprises me to hear someone as young as you talk like that, Charlie is everyone's hero around here."

"I know, but I've always thought that really, especially since my parents split up, I don't think they were ever really that happy together because they weren't right for each other, my father dated a lot when he was younger, he thought it was what you were supposed to do when you were in your teens and twenties, but he always says that he let 'the one' go when he was young because he thought they were too young to make a commitment. By the time he met my mother he was ready to settle down and have a family and I think it was more the love the one you're with attitude that made him do it," he looked up wistfully and Lily suddenly felt sorry for him, his piercing blue eyes seemed to be clouded over and he looked sad, then he shook his head and continued, "so I decided when they split up that I wouldn't end up like that, when I met the right person, no matter how young or how old we were, we would be together if it felt right." Lily smiled as the light seemed to fly back into his eyes and he laughed as he looked at her, "Listen to me," he went on, "I must sound like an old man to you, you are only sixteen and a heartbreaker in the making I can see," his eyes glinted and he chuckled.

"No, I don't think that, I think it's...sweet?" she asked hoping he would not be offended by the word. "My parents fell in love when they were sixteen and fifteen, unfortunately life was unkind to them for a while and they were apart for five years after that but they both knew they were in love and eventually they discovered that they still felt the same way, they were in their twenties by then and had both dated other people but they knew, no one else ever matched up. And look at them now," she laughed, "they embarrass us all the time with their affectionate ways but I admire it really, almost twenty five years later they are still as in love as they were at school! It's what I want too," she finished and then realised she was saying this to a seventeen year old boy who she had a large crush on so she added, "you know, when I find the right person and...and hopefully when I am a bit older!" Raulph laughed at her and they settled back into their respective chairs.

"You have a lovely family Lily, I wish mine had been as big as this."

"Hmm," she replied, it was great to have such a huge family but it could be annoying and overcrowded at times too, she would never give any of them up for the world but she did often wonder what it would be like to be an only child, or at least part of a family which didn't have quite so many aunts, uncles and cousins, "they are great and I love them all, but I do occasionally wonder what it would be like to be an only child!"

"Much less exciting than it is to be one of so many I can assure you! You are all so close and have so much fun, I'd love to come to gatherings like today more often, it's good to see family getting on so well and seeing such loving people."

"I suppose it must be strange if you are not used to it like we all are, mind you we must seem just strange to you sometimes anyway!"

"Hello, Lily," said a voice from the doorway she turned to see Raulph's father stood in the doorway, "I hope this one is not leading you astray," he added cocking his head towards his son. She smiled at him and shook her head as her Aunt Hermione appeared behind him.

"The glasses are over here Victor," her Aunt said bustling past him to the towering dresser which housed an assortment of mismatched crockery and glassware.

Seconds later her Uncle Ron barged past Victor and up to Hermione calling, "Let me help you with that dear, shall I open the bottle?" he asked placing a hand on her back and kissing her cheek again before turning to collect a wine bottle from the kitchen sideboard.

"I will leave you to your chat Raulph, be ready to leave soon though, we shall be going home early tomorrow and I do not wish to be out too late tonight. Lily," he gestured and nodded his head to her before retreating back to the adult company in the living room.

"Honestly Ron," came the well worn phrase from her Aunt when he had left, "you can leave my side for a few minutes you know, not that I don't like it when you are attentive but let me breathe!" she scolded and Ron looked down at the floor as he headed back out of the room with the wine bottle in his hand. "Oh, Lily," she continued turning to face the pair still sitting in front of the range, "I love your Uncle Ron, but sometimes he drives me insane, promise me you will never marry a jealous man!" then without waiting for a reply from the stunned looking girl she headed out of the kitchen with a collection of wine glasses floating precariously in front of her controlled by her wand.

"What was that about?" Lily chuckled to Raulph who seemed to have an inkling of understanding in his eyes.

"I think it was my father," he replied and Lily looked back at him quizzically, "oh, you don't know."

"Know what?" she asked, the rare gossipy female side of her showing its true colours.

"Your Aunt Hermione and my father, used to date."

"No," she gasped and he nodded his head.

"When he was in the triwizard tournament with your father and Fleur, he took your Aunt to the Yule ball and they went out for a short while after, but I don't think your Uncle Ron was very happy about it! They kept in touch for a while by writing to each other, but of course it fizzled out and then your Aunt and Uncle started to date didn't they?"

She nodded at him slowly as an idea began to form in her mind, "You don't think the woman he was...could have been..?"

"No," he replied and she relaxed, "No, I know who she is, Dad is still friends with her even though she is now married and besides he met her when he was training to be an auror, No I think they were just a school time thing, apparently Dad was very taken with Hermione but they were never in love. I'm not sure your Uncle is entirely convinced of that though. He is always practically surgically attached to your Aunt whenever we visit as if he might talk to her and whisk her away from him!" They both giggled a little at the absurdity of it all, Lily knew how much her Aunt and Uncle loved each other, and had heard stories about their life at Hogwarts when they had obviously had feelings for one another but had never realised it, she found it hard to imagine Hermione dating Raulph's father, but she could easily see how Ron would have been unhappy about it.

"I don't think he really needs to worry, do you?" she asked casually.

"Not at all! Anyone can see that they are meant to be together, but I suppose it is sweet really, in a strange way!"

They both giggled again just as Dominique entered the room, "What are you two so giggly about?" she asked and they turned to look at her, Raulph invited her to sit in his chair and he stood up by the fire and filled her in on the story. She too found it highly amusing that her grown up Uncle would act so immaturely, "Oh, I can't stand pathetic men like that, they are too insecure, I want a man who will trust me always and let me be independent, not follow me around like a love sick puppy doting on my every move!"

"Then you need a man like me!" Raulph laughed and leaned over her chair until his face was almost touching hers, "I wouldn't dote on you in a million years," he scoffed playfully and she pushed him away, "a woman like Lily however," he went on causing her to blush to the roots of her hair, "now she is a lady worth doting on!" He was being playful and she knew it but he moved himself close to her too until their faces were almost touching and then he took her hand in his and kissed it gently.

"Oh Raulph, you are such a charmer!" Dominique scoffed back at him, "no wonder you are the most popular boy at Durmstrang!"

He gave her a glare which clearly said he not only hated being the most popular boy at school, he also hated being known as it but she fluttered her eyelashes at him demurely and then turned back to Lily who was still gazing down at her hand where Raulph had kissed it, when she felt her cousin's gaze on her she lifted her head and looked at her, Dominique smiled back at her knowingly and she blushed once more but fortunately Raulph had not noticed as he had made his way to the kitchen sink for a drink abandoning the girls and Dominique's taunts.

It was at that moment that her parents appeared in the kitchen doorway and announced that they were leaving as she had a long day ahead of her tomorrow, Lily rose from the chair and kissed Dominique on both cheeks, "See you on the train," she said and went to bid goodnight to her brothers. Before she stepped into the fire to floo back home she bid farewell to Raulph, "Goodbye Raulph, it was nice to see you again."

"And you Lily, enjoy your first year without any watchful eyes," he whispered into her ear, "I hope to see you again soon!" Then one by one she and her parents stepped into the fireplace and whirled back home where she collapsed into bed and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN Here's the next chapter, I am really into this tory now and am fidning it hard to go back and reread early chapters to put them up on here which is why the long break. I notice a few people have added it as fav story but I still have no reviews, would really appreciate anything!!**

Chapter 2 – Friends through everything

"Lily," called a soft voice from behind her, the youngest Potter turned around to see one of her best friends, Stephanie Colewell, running down a crowded platform 9 ¾ to greet her. She weaved in and out of the masses of people, trunks, trolleys and cages and fell abruptly into her friend's waiting arms, "Oh I've missed you," Lily added as they swung from side to side in a desperate hug, "how was your summer?"

"Good, and you?"

"Boring," she yawned, "Dad's been at work all day every day and my brother's have all left home now so it was just me and Mum day in and day out, I mean don't get me wrong I love Mum but I can't take any more of her company, thank Merlin we are going back to school today!"

"Morning Stephanie," said Harry who had just dragged Lily's trunk onto the waiting train, "I think you'd better get yourselves on board if you don't want to miss it," he added.

Stephanie practically jumped away and up into a compartment calling, "Goodbye Mr Potter, Mrs Potter, see you next summer!"

"I think she's ready to be back at school, don't you?" Ginny asked as she enfolded her daughter in a hug, "now you look after yourself, do you hear? You won't have Albus there to watch out for you now!" she added with a twinkle in her eye knowing full well what a relief it could be to have no watchful older brothers at school with you. "And keep an eye on Fred and Molly, especially Fred, we don't need him following in his father's or his namesake's footsteps while he is at school." Lily nodded at her mother and then turned to kiss her father on the cheek.

"Goodbye, Daddy," she said.

"Have a good time Sweetheart, work hard!" he smiled and she looked up at him, "and stay away from those boys," he added in a whisper so her mother wouldn't hear. Lily nodded at him and smiled sweetly and Harry groaned as he knew she had absolutely no intention of staying away from them and then cursed his sons and cousin for not going into teaching and at least being at Hogwarts for another couple of years.

"I'll miss you," she called as she boarded the train. Finding Stephanie already ensconced in a compartment she entered and took a window seat where she could see her mother and father who had now been joined by the rest of the Weasley's waving their own children off to school, she smiled at them all and waved back as the train's whistle sounded and the Hogwarts Express began to pull away from the station to take them all back to school for another year.

Once the platform was out of sight Lily sat back in her seat and began to talk to her friend about their respective summers, after a few minutes the doors to the compartment opened and two of their other best friends and fellow Griffindor sixth year girls, Lizzie Cornthwaite and Melissa Bell, joined them.

"Hey guys," Stephanie called as they sat down in seats opposite them, "how's it been?"

"Pretty good summer," Lizzie began, "although it was better for some than others," she continued and they all watched as Mel turned beetroot red on the spot.

"Why?" Lily asked once more showing that gossipy side of her personality.

"I started seeing someone," Mel said sheepishly turning more and more scarlet by the minute.

"Who?" Stephanie enquired moving closer to the others as if she was afraid they would be overheard.

"Terry Dreary," she replied.

"From seventh year?" Lily asked and the young dark haired girl nodded in response, "How? When?" she continued desperate to hear every detail.

"We were at the Minister's summer ball," she went on. Kinglsey Shaklebolt had retired that summer and a new minister had taken over the Ministry of magic, her name was Penelope Clearwater and she was the first female to ever have held the title. Lily's Uncle Percy had also been running for Minister but had been pipped to the post by his Hogwart's sweetheart at the beginning of their school holidays. Melissa's father was Senior Under Secretary to the Minister so it was natural that her whole family had been invited to attend the ball held in honour of the Miss Clearwater's appointment. "It had been quite boring actually because there was no one there really that I knew, I had spent most of the night with Mum but she was dancing with Dad and I was at our table all alone. I was watching the dancers when suddenly Terry came and sat down next to me, he had recognised me from school and he was there alone too so he'd asked if he could sit with me, I was so shocked that I just nodded and looked like a complete bumbling buffoon!

"Anyway he started chatting to me asking me why I was there, he told me that his Dad worked in the Department of Mysteries and that he had been dragged along to this thing because it would look good for the family! Then he asked me if I wanted to dance! I could hardly speak, I mean a seventh year asking me to dance? But I managed to nod my head and he led me onto the dancefloor, we were on there for ages, he just kept spinning me around and each time a new song started he'd just carry on. So it got really late and Mum wanted to go so she came over to tell me and then he asked if he could take me out sometime, and then..." she paused for effect and looked at her girlfriends who were almost on the edge of their seats with curiosity, "he kissed me!"

They all screamed and fell back into their seats laughing and giggling like the sixteen year old schoolgirls that they were and the next few hours of the journey passed by quickly as they shared their summer tales. Lily did not share her story about the short but fun conversations she had had with Raulph the previous day, they were hardly exciting, even to a bunch of teenagers and listening to the minute details of Mel's subsequent dates with Terry Dreary was far more fascinating.

They were about halfway to Hogwarts when the door to their carriage opened and a sheepish looking boy with short blonde hair, dark brown eyes and a wide smile entered making the girls stop their conversation abruptly and stare up at him, "Mel," he said softly looking at the short blonde haired girl sitting by the window, "girls," he added nodding at each of the other three in turn, "good summers, I hope?" he asked and they all nodded back at him desperately trying to stifle their giggles. He turned back to look at Melissa and held out his hand, "Care for a walk?" he asked and she stood up enthusiastically almost bouncing out of the room behind him, glancing back at her friends only once to pull a wide eyed face at them. When the door closed behind them the other three friends burst into fits of laughter for a few minutes before returning to their earlier conversations.

Shortly before they arrived at the platform in Hogsmeade the girls changed into their school robes and Melissa returned to their compartment alone, but smiling, she giggled with her friends for a few more minutes as she told them that they had been standing at the back of the train on a small balcony kissing for the last couple of hours. By the time they alighted from the train and climbed into the horseless carriages which took them up to Hogwarts the girls were in high spirits but tired and hungry and ready for the feast which they knew would be awaiting them in the great hall.

They were not disappointed at all, once the new first years had been sorted into their respective houses, Professor McGonagall stood up and told them to begin, explaining that she would save her speech until they had full stomachs and happy smiles. The entire hall tucked in to the sumptuous spread put on by the Hogwarts house elves and an hour later after puddings of apple pie, lemon meringue and strawberry cheesecake, everyone turned to look up at the short and severe looking woman who had taken a stance in front of a large podium where the sorting hat had been less than sixty minutes ago.

"Welcome, first years," she began, "and welcome back to everyone else. I trust you have all had a restful summer at home and are ready to start the new school year with vigour. I am pleased to announce that this years OWL results were some of the best on record here at Hogwarts and I extend my congratulations to all the sixth years who will no doubt be eager and prepared to begin their NEWTs tomorrow. I would also like to remind our new fifth years that the OWL year is most important and you will be expected to knuckle down much harder this year and concentrate on the work you are given." The headmistress looked sternly around the room in the direction of fifth and sixth years and then a softer look crossed her face, "Now," she continued, "on a lighter note, I am pleased to announce that this year will see the return of the triwizard tournament," a gasp sounded around the room as the Professor paused for effect, some people started to whisper about it but Mcgonagall silenced them before continuing.

"It has been a few years since the last tournament and as always it has been decided quietly to hold it this year so I can say that you are the first people so far to know about it." More whispers echoed around the room followed by people shushing them as they strained to listen to what the headmistress had to say, "This time it is the turn of Durmstrang to play host to the tournament which will begin in October this year, shortly after the Durmstrang students return to school. I shall be taking a selection of students from the sixth and seventh years with me and another teacher shortly before Halloween. As you know the tournament is only open to those who are of wizarding age, but we do feel that those sixth years who are still underage should be given the opportunity to attend another school for the year, both in support of the champions who wish to put themselves forwards and in the interest of international magical cooperation." The sixth and seventh years at each of the house tables began to discuss their chances of being chosen as a champion and once more McGonagall had to shush them before she continued.

"Anyone wishing to put themselves forwards either as a contender or a supporter can hand their names in to me at my office anytime in the next couple of days, however I must stress that you think carefully if you are intending to place your name in the goblet of fire, the triwizard tournament is a dangerous and difficult thing to do, it requires a great deal of magic and skill and while it is much less fraught than it was in the past and the activities much more carefully organised and observed it still takes a special and strong type of witch or wizard to take part. I am sure there are children in the room who's parents have either been champions or been witnesses to a tournament and they will be able to explain to you the dangers of the trials along with the upsides and advantages that it brings." This time when she paused the room stayed silent as if people were contemplating her words carefully. "So, you have a lot to think about some of you therefore I shall bid you goodnight with the usual reminders, all Weasley joke products are banned from school as required by Argus Filtch, first years are told and the rest of you reminded that the forbidden forest of strictly out of bounds and can I please ask all prefects to ensure that the first years from their respective houses are given the correct passwords and escorted to the dormitories immediately, thank you and sleep well."

Lily watched as her friend, and Griffindor prefect, Lizzie, rose from the bench and set off to the head of the table where the new first years were sat, the three other girls waited until they had all left before rising themselves and heading up the multitude of staircases which led to the Griffindor common room. When they entered it Lily felt like she was home, the inviting squashy armchairs by the fireplace were calling to her and she immediately dropped into one and was joined by her best friends. Half an hour later Lizzie returned after sorting out all the first years with their trunks and beds, she flopped onto the floor beside her friends and groaned, "Why did I get picked to be the prefect?" she asked.

"Because you're the prim and proper one who never breaks the rules!" Stephanie guffawed at her and Lizzie swiped out at her with a cushion. "Well come on, we were never going to be picked were we? Caught in the corridors after curfew, skipping classes and handing in late homework! Would we make good role models for the rest of the school? I don't think so!"

"Lily never did any of that stuff!" Lizzie counter argued.

"Correction, Liz, Lily never got caught doing that stuff!" Mel interjected and she received the same swipe as Stephanie from her best friend as they all set off giggling again. "McGonagall must have liked you better! Either that or she didn't trust Lily to put her brothers and cousins in detention!" They laughed again as Lily looked around the room and noticed her Griffindor cousin, Fred, ensconced in a corner with what was obviously a disguised bag of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes merchandise and she sighed. "Look, you'd better go and sort them out, Lizzie, Fred's obviously doing something he shouldn't be!" Mel added following Lily's gaze and seeing the rule breaking going on in the corner.

"Oh, what does it matter? They never hurt anybody, I mean why can't we have Weasley jokes anyway? They don't hurt anyone, really, it's just that old stuffed shirt Filch who can't stand anyone having any fun!"

"But you'll be breaking the prefect code if you don't," Stephanie teased and with another groan Lizzie lifted her head up off the floor cushion she had been laying on and called , "Oi, Weasley, that better not be what I think it is, or you'll be in detention for a week!"

Young Fred Weasley turned to look at the voice coming from the chairs where his cousin was sat, "Whatever, Cornthwaite!" he replied and then went back to exchanging products for coins in the darkened corner.

"See, they never listen to me anyway!" Lizzie exclaimed half heartedly.

"That's because you never mean it!" Lily replied, "You've got to be forceful and show you mean it when it comes to the Weasleys, don't make empty threats! Oi, Fred," Lily shouted across and the boy's head turned, "get it all put away or I'll owl Aunt Hermione, she'll get rid of it for you!" At these words a look of horror crossed his face and he quickly pulled the bag back from the scared looking first year who was holding it, Lily knew from experience that Hermione was a force to be reckoned with when it came to breaking school rules, though she knew that she, her father and her Uncle had broken enough of them in their time at Hogwarts, she also knew that they were mostly for the greater good and not for profit making. Fred gave his cousin a steely glare before hurtling up the stairs to his dormitory with the bag in his hand and a handful of change rattling in his pocket.

"See, I knew they should have made you prefect! Shall we go and ask McGonagall if we can swap?" Lizzie looked eagerly at her friend, eyes wide and pleading.

"No chance," she replied laughing, "I can deal with the Weasleys but I draw the line at the rest of the school!" Lizzie looked defeated and put her head back on the floor cushion once more pouting her lips and turning her head away from her friends.

"So what do you think about the triwizard tournament then?" Stephanie asked excitedly, "I reckon I should try and go for it!"

"You?" Lizzie called sitting back up.

"Why not?" Stephanie replied with a mock hurt expression on her face.

"Because you can barely conjure something with an accio spell, never mind fight ogres or swim with the merpeople!" she chuckled and her other two friends joined in.

"Well..." Stephanie paused, "the glory would be good though!"

"If you stayed alive!" Mel added.

"What about you Lily?" Stephanie asked, "You'll be of age at the end of November, you could do it! Your Dad was in it, surely he could give you some insider tips, imagine the glory and the winnings too!"

Lily shook her head at her friends, "It starts before November though and anyway I'm not interested, I've heard Dad's stories about it, he didn't want to do it really, he had to, but it's too dangerous, even with all the new protections in place, and besides I need to concentrate on my NEWTs this year, I need to get good grades if I'm going to work in the Ministry." Lily's aim in her career was to end up in the department of mysteries, she had heard so much about it from her parents and she knew that there were studies which had been taking place for years on a whole host of unexplained phenomena. To become an unspeakable, 

which is what people who worked in the department were called, took a lot of effort and excellent OWLs and NEWTs, she had managed to get outstanding in eight out of her nine OWLs the previous summer and had gained exceeds expectations in herbology which was not one of her strong points. "I wouldn't mind going as a supporter though," she added, "I mean it could be quite cool to study in another school for a year. Don't get me wrong, I love Hogwarts but imagine what it would be like to learn in a new environment, with different students and teachers." The other girls looked at her and nodded, they had to admit that it could be exciting to attend Durmstrang for a year and by the time the fire in the grate had burned out and the girls' eyelids were almost drooping they had all decided that they would put their names forward as supporters of the tournament the following morning.

After breakfast Professor Longbottom, who was head of Griffindor house took each sixth year into his office to discuss their options for the school year, Lily was given her new timetable within minutes which included all of the lessons she wanted to continue studying, potions, defence against the dark arts, ancient runes, astrology, arithmancy, transfiguration and care of magical creatures. She also told her professor that she intended to put her name down as a supporter to go to Durmstrang at the end of October and he nodded at her saying that he thought it would be a good idea for her to experience a different style of learning for a while and assured her that he would support her application to Professor McGonagall. A poster had appeared on the common room wall first thing the next morning which said that due to the already high demand for places on the trip, students would be expected to apply to go, stating their reasons for wanting to either contend for or support the triwizard tournament. Before she left her tutor handed her a parchment for application and instructed that she was to fill it in and return it to the headmistress by the end of the week.

Lily waited for her friends in the great hall and then together they set off for their first lesson, they were all taking potions and had a double period straight away which would be taken by Professor Abbot, the potions master. They entered the dungeon and took seats at the back of the classroom waiting for the teacher to arrive, by the end of the lesson they were fully loaded up with instructions for their NEWT in potions and already had a foot long essay to complete.

By the time they had finished their first day all four friends were exhausted and already snowed under with assignments and extra reading, they were beginning to realise that this year was going to be hard work but decided to blow off the first night's homework and attempt to complete their applications to attend Durmstrang, they had been told at dinner that only ten contenders and ten supporters would be going and they had agreed it would be highly unlikely that all four of them would be chosen to go and support. They had made a pact which said they would be happy for anyone who was chosen and though they would miss each other terribly if they were separated, it would be a wonderful opportunity for any one of them. With that in mind the four girls went to different areas of the common room and completed the forms by themselves, when faced with the question, why do you think you should attend as a supporter? Lily sat back and thought hard about her reasons. Eventually she started writing and put down that she thought it would be a good experience for her to have the opportunity to study in another school for a while where she could meet, study and communicate with other international witches and wizards. She also wrote about the importance of promoting international magical cooperation between students of school age and decided to include a paragraph explaining that when her father and Aunt had taken part in the tournament they had made friends with a fellow contestant and still kept in regular contact with him and his family.

She would have liked to add that spending a year at the same school as the delectable Raulph Krum would also be a bonus but knew it was highly inappropriate and that McGonagall would not see the funny side. As the clock on the fireplace mantle struck ten o clock, the four best friends made their way back to the comfortable armchairs by the fireplace which had been vacated by some tired looking first years only moments before. They each rolled up their application parchments and placed them carefully into their respective school bags adamant that they did not want to read each others in case they tried to copy or amend their own. They spent another hour by the dwindling fire talking about their first day, how much work they already had to do and eventually about how much fun it would be to go to Durmstrang, Lily still had not told any of them about her crush on Raulph, usually the girls shared everything about their love lives with each other but she wanted to keep it to herself, besides if she didn't get picked to go to the tournament then she would not see Raulph for at least another year, by which time she might have found herself someone closer to home to have crush on.

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The girls spent the majority of the weekend catching up on the enormous amount of homework they had been given and barely had time to give a passing thought to the forms they had handed in to the headteacher on Tuesday morning. The chosen twenty students were to be announced at dinner on Monday night and the school was abuzz with the news by the time breakfast was finished that day. Lily, Stephanie, Lizzie and Melissa made it through a gruelling day of double potions, transfiguration, double care of magical creatures and, for Lily and Mel, a double lesson of arithmancy and when they entered the great hall to eat they were all exhausted and carrying heavy bags laden with the various books they needed for each lesson. Once again they had another pile of homework to add to the still incomplete assignments from the previous week's lessons and most of them had already forgotten about the important announcement at the end of the meal. When Professor McGonagall stood up at the podium, Lily, Mel and Lizzie all looked confused until Stephanie whispered excitedly, "The triwizard tournament," and looks of comprehension dawned on their faces as they waited eagerly for her choices.

The head teacher raised her voice above the students and asked for quiet before starting to speak in her quick and formal tone, "Good evening, as you know I am going to announce the chosen twenty pupils who will accompany myself and Professor Longbottom on the trip to Durmstrang at the end of next month but before I do I would like to say a few words to all the applicants. Professor Longbottom and I spent the weekend perusing all the applicants for both triwizard contenders and followers and were surprised at the amount of students who had put their names forward for each, the short essays you had to complete were well thought out and gave us a lot to think about when choosing our candidates, in the end we went for those who had given the strongest arguments, and those we felt would represent us well in both the competition and as fellow Durmstrang students for the year. Therefore I will keep you waiting no longer, Professor Longbottom," she gestured with her hand towards the herbology professor who was seated at the teacher's table, he rose from it and walked over to the podium with a piece of parchment in his hands.

"Thank you professor," he replied before turning to the four house tables, "as Professor McGonagall said, this was not an easy task for us to decide but we managed to narrow it down to ten contenders, from the seventh year students, Terry Dreary," there was a gasp and then the Hufflepuff table erupted with a loud cheer, Lily glanced over at Mel, who had a look of joy on her face mingled with a worried expression that she might not be chosen to go along, she looked back up at her professor who had continued reeling off names which she had now missed, "and finally, Michael Finnegan." This time the cheers erupted around her as everyone jumped up to clap Michael, a fellow Griffindor sixth year on the back, he was the only contender chosen from their house and naturally everyone was supporting him.

"And now, our supporters," the tall professor continued, "again, chosen for their excellent arguments as to why they should be chosen, from the seventh year, Tory Jordan," this time everyone remained quiet waiting to hear if their names would be called out, "Samantha Dawn, Serena Corner, William Blaise, and Andrew Bones." Everyone now cheered for the five students chosen from the seventh year and then waited with baited breath for the sixth year names, Lily held her breath and hoped that she had been chosen, "From the sixth year we have decided to take, Stephen Creevey, Sean Tyler, Alexander Bode, Lizzie Cornthwaite," Lily looked up at her friend and smiled, she had been chosen to go and they would miss her dearly, "and Lily Potter."

She almost didn't hear her name, and it wasn't until Stephanie started patting her on the back and squealing, "You're going, you're going," that she realised Professor Longbottom had actually meant her, she looked across at Lizzie who was still wearing an equally shocked look on her face and then they smiled at each other and cheered. The three girls jumped up to hug each other and it was a few minutes before they realised that Melissa wasn't joining in, they looked over to see her sitting on the bench trying to put on a brave face, she wasn't jealous that her best friends had been chosen when she hadn't, but those same friends realised immediately what was wrong with her, Terry was going and she wasn't. "Oh Mel," Stephanie sighed putting an arm around her friend to comfort her, "it'll...it'll be alright, you've still got...me?" she lifted her eyebrows high, knowing that she would be unable to replace her boyfriend but Melissa smiled at her anyway and allowed herself to be cradled by the excited girl.

"Well done, Potter, Cornthwaite," said a deep voice behind them and they all turned round to see Terry Dreary standing above them looking down at his girlfriend, "shall we take a walk Melissa?" he continued holding out a hand to her and she took it willingly leaving her other friends to their celebration while they left the great hall in search of quieter surroundings.

"I can't believe you two get to go and I don't," Stephanie said, but she was still wearing a smile which showed how happy she was for her friends, "I'm going to miss you so much, you'll be away for the whole year."

"At least you'll have Mel," Lizzie said.

"Oh, barrel of laughs she's going to be with Terry over at Durmstrang, can you imagine?" the other girls looked at one another and sighed, realising that Mel would be thoroughly depressed for at least a month when they'd gone.

"She'll get over it," Lily offered raising her eyebrows.

"Eventually!" Lizzie added and the girls fell about into fits of laughter again.

All four girls stayed up late that night talking about what it would be like at Durmstrang for Lizzie and Lily, Stephanie had marvelled at all the new and mysterious foreign boys that there would be just waiting to be introduced to English girls with their wonderful accents, Lizzie's eyes had widened at this concept , "Oh yes, tall handsome strangers, imagine Lily not having to look at the same old boring boys at Hogwarts, we'll be able to acquaint ourselves with new boys, grown up and mature seventh years!"

Lily chuckled at her friend and then thought fondly of Raulph, she still hadn't mentioned him to them and even at this point decided to keep her fancies to herself, he probably had a girlfriend at school anyway, he was so popular and good looking that he was bound to be involved with someone and he'd never be interested in her.

"What are you thinking about?" Stephanie suddenly said interrupting Lily's thoughts, "you look like you're pining for something!"

"What? Me? No I...I was just thinking about all those boys!" she added quickly and laughed off her wistful look with the rest of them.

By the time their heads hit the pillows in their dormitory that night they were all exhausted, the excitement of the triwizard tournament added to their ever growing piles of work was too much and they were all breathing deeply and dreaming within minutes of each other.

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"An owl came for you this morning Lil!" said Mel dropping a scroll into her lap at the common room table, once they arrived at Durmstrang the students from Hogwarts would be following their courses in some of the same subjects which they had chosen to study at home, however there were a few syllabus areas which they would miss as at the Academy pupils took their NEWTs differently to Hogwarts and so both Lizzie and Lily had to catch up on them before they left. This meant that they were working day and night on assignments and had absolutely no time for socialising or even, on some mornings, eating breakfast. The two girls had risen at the crack of dawn to complete a potions essay on the uses of certain herbs and fungi in various solutions and had asked their other two friends, who weren't quite as loaded up with school work, if they would bring them breakfast so they wouldn't have to break their concentration. As Mel and Stephanie had climbed back through the portrait hole they had seen the two girls packing away their essays and drawing out fresh parchment and piles of books in order to begin another one.

"Thanks, Mel," Lily replied looking up at her and smiling as she took two slices of toast from a plate in her hands.

"No, worries."

"I can't get over how much work you have to do, we'll never get to spend any time together before you two go," Stephanie whined as she took a seat at the table, "what are you onto now?"

"Rune translations," Lizzie sighed as she opened a book and grabbed a slice of the toast on Lily's plate, "two hundred words to translate!" she continued taking a bite and putting her head into the book.

"Don't worry though girls," Lily interrupted, "Professor Longbottom has just been in and said we don't need to go to classes this week, we can get on with our work through the day and then we should be a little less tied up in the evening! And plus look," she added pointing to the common room noticeboard where a piece of parchment had appeared while the rest of the Griffindors had been at breakfast. "First Hogsmeade weekend on Saturday, we can all go down and have a few drinks in the Three Broomsticks and hang around the village for the day, we'll be all finished on this lot," she indicated the pieces of parchment sticking haphazardly out of her bag, "by then and we can have some girly fun before we go!"

"Oh, screw it!" Lizzie screeched throwing her hands in the air and slamming the book shut, "I can't take any more runes, my eyes are starting to go funny just from looking at them! Lets go down to the Quidditch stadium, your Hugo is holding tryouts for the new Griffindor team, lets see if Mitchell Snowdon is going for a beater's position, those strong muscular arms..." she looked up at the ceiling and sighed.

"You're on!" Stephanie shouted stuffing all of Lizzie's school equipment and textbooks back into her bag, "let's blow off some steam and eye up the boys while we're there! Lily?" she asked.

Lily sighed and looked at the pile of books in front of her, "Go on then," she finally said, "I suppose a day off won't hurt if we don't have to go to classes all week!"

"Are you going to read that letter first?" Mel asked her as she bagged up her belongings.

"I'd forgotten about that!" When everything was back in her school bag Lily sat back down at the table and unrolled the parchment in her hands, it was from her brother, James.

_Hey Loony!_

_I heard about the trip to Durmstrang, how fantastic that you got picked. Mum said you were going on Halloween, that's the day of my passing out parade from training but it doesn't matter, Mum and Dad will be there so that's all that matters to me, I'm just impressed that my sister is going away for the year! Make sure you and Cornthwaite take care of your selves and if you get a Hogsmeade visit before you go owl me and I'll pop up, we don't have training on Saturdays now, I can lie in two days a week! Hooray!_

_Hope to see you before you go!_

_Love from James (your best looking brother!)_

"Oh, I'm going to miss James' passing out, it's the same day that we go to Durmstrang," Lily sighed.

"Don't worry, I'm sure there will be plenty of men for you to pass out over when you get there!" Stephanie added, a comment which earned her a nudge in the ribs from Lily, but she resigned herself to the fact that she wouldn't be able to go and that attending Durmstrang would be much more exciting.

"He says he'll come up to Hogsmeade if I owl him."

"Then get him owled," said Stephanie who had no qualms about hiding the fact that she had a rather large crush on Lily's eldest brother.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 – Durmstrang

Lily woke up on Halloween morning feeling excitement mixed with a little trepidation, she was looking forward to going to another school but was also a little scared about being out of the safe and familiar halls of Hogwarts for almost a whole year, however her thoughts and feelings were dashed when another presence landed on her bed and shouted, "We're going!" She sat up and smiled at her fellow traveller, Lizzie, who was almost beside herself with happiness. She then looked over at her two other friends who would not be accompanying them on the trip and her smile turned to a frown as she saw the sad looks on their faces.

"I'm going to miss you so much," Stephanie squealed hugging them each in turn and then allowing both girls to dress themselves in their school robes and prepare to float their packed up trunks out of the dormitory to the entrance hall where they would be taken down to the station at Hogsmeade.

After teary goodbyes and a send off breakfast, twenty students accompanied by the headteacher and Professor Longbottom climbed into the waiting horseless carriages and set off away from the school, Lily looked back at her third favourite place in the world (her home and the Burrow being the two at the top of the list) and sighed. "Don't worry we'll be back next year, it's not the end," Lizzie said sympathetically feeling the same small sense of sadness at leaving the school behind. Lily nodded at her and sat back in the carriage thinking about the new things which were awaiting them at Durmstrang.

As they pulled up at Hogsmeade station, the girls could see the Hogwarts Express waiting at the platform, only it looked completely different to how it usually did. The huge scarlet steam engine was still at the head of the train, smoke billowing out of the funnel as it prepared to take the travellers on their journey but behind it were not the usual long carriages which it pulled along. Instead the girls found themselves looking at four long, thin and tall coaches which looked like small houses, they were three stories high and had separate small square windows along each storey. There were curtains hanging at each window which were drawn back and fastened with tie backs.

"Welcome to your new home for the rest of the year," Professor McGonagall said as the students alighted from their coaches, "the Hogwarts Express will not only be taking us to Durmstrang but it will be housing us for the duration of our stay, please come on board," she continued gesturing to the doors on each carriage. "Boys in this carriage with Mr Longbottom" she gestured to the coach at the back, "and girls in this one with me," she indicated the front carriage and the girls climbed onto the step in front of the door.

Lily and Lizzie were at the back of the line waiting to jump on the train and when they entered the compartment their jaws dropped, they had stepped into a long, thin cosy room which had a large stone fireplace at its centre, the floor was carpeted in a dark red pile with golden fleur de lye woven into it. A collection of squashy mismatched, leather armchairs and couches were scattered around the room facing the fireplace and under the windows were long thin wooden desks with individual candles. The walls were covered in patterned red flock wallpaper and at the windows were the curtains they had noticed from the outside which matched the carpet but the fleur de lye were much smaller. Hanging from the ceiling of the room were small crystal chandeliers housing large yellow candles and around the walls were a few other candle holders which added to the homely and inviting atmosphere of their new home.

"This," the headmistress began, "is the girls common room, through that door," she indicated an adjoining door to the next carriage, "is a common room for all of you and above that is a library and study area containing most of the books you are likely to require during your NEWT years. Above the library is a private staff area for Professor Longbottom and myself which houses separate rooms for our own use." All the girls were listening avidly to their professor who continued, "beyond that is a carriage with a small dining area underneath a kitchen staffed with Hogwarts houselves, their living quarters are on the top floor of that coach and finally at the end, the boys' carriage which is kitted out similar to this one. Up those stairs," she pointed into the opposite corner of the room where a thin set of winding stairs led up and out of sight, "are the bedrooms, sixths years on the first floor and seventh years on the top. You will find your trunks already up there, we shall be leaving in a matter of minutes if you would like to make yourselves comfortable."

The girls looked at each other and then immediately, en masse, headed up the narrow winding staircase, they came to a closed door about halfway up which had sixth year dormitory written on it, the seventh year girls continued up but Lizzie, Lily and three champion contenders, Suzanna Jones, Maria Johnson and Reese McClaggan, opened the door and walked into a second room of equal proportions to the one beneath it. This room had three sets of bunkbeds down one wall, each bed was enclosed like a small pod with a set of heavy red drapes, on the wall above the pillows each pod had a candle and at the foot of the bed a small shelf with enough room for a few bedside items. Between each set of bunkbeds was a wardrobe and when Suzanna opened one they saw that it was magically enlarged to house not only their clothes but their cumbersome trunks as well. Along the opposite wall was a long table which stretched almost the length of the room, it was divided with small slats of wood into six separate stations each of which had a small padded stool, a candle holder and space for a person's belongings. There were six comfortable armchairs grouped together at the end of the narrow aisle which ran between the beds and the table all facing a low coffee table, beyond the set of armchairs was a door which opened into a small shower room and toilet. Matching red drapes hung at the six windows in front of each section of the long table and identical chandeliers to the ones in the room below hung from the ceiling.

Each girl chose a bed, Lizzie on the bottom of the first bunk and Lily above her, and then they began to unpack some of their belongings from the trunks which had been placed at the end of the aisle by the chairs. After a few moments they all felt a slight lurch as the train began to move and they scrambled to the windows to get one last look at their beloved school standing high and proud on the hill above Hogsmeade. They were off, the steady rhythmic noise of the train built up until they were travelling at speed and the five girls turned around to continue unpacking their things.

Half an hour later Lily and her blonde haired and blue eyed best friend left the dormitory and walked back down the stairs to explore a little more of their new home, a couple of the seventh year girls were lazing in the chairs by the fire in the common room below and they nodded curtly at them as they headed into the next compartment. They found a room very similar to the first one, but this one was decorated in greens and had more chairs around the fireplace, there were no desks in this and they assumed it was more a place to socialise than to work. Climbing another curved staircase they found a long thin library with row upon row of books, at the end of the room by the windows were a few private workstations with hard wooden chairs. After perusing the selection of books for a few minutes the girls decided to head back down to the common room where they found Terry Deary and another seventh year Hufflepuff who's name they did not know.

"This is quite something hey?" Terry asked when he saw the girls re-enter the room, "can't say it will be a chore to live here for a year!"

"It's amazing isn't it?" Lizzie commented, "do your dorms have separate bunk pods?"

"Yeah," Terry replied, "I think they are all exactly the same, by the way this is David Clearwater, the Minister's nephew."

"Hi, I'm Lily," she said holding out her hand, "and this is Lizzie," she indicated her friend.

"Lizzie and Lily, I'm sure I can remember that! After all I don't want to forget the names of our wonderful supporters do I?" he laughed and the girls sat down in two other armchairs next to them and joined in a long and simple conversation for the next few hours.

They had been travelling for three hours through woodlands when Professor Longbottom popped his head around the door from the dining car and announced that lunch was ready, by that point everyone had congregated in the main common room and had introduced his or her self to the rest of the group. Lily had noticed that everyone seemed friendly and easy going and she realised it would probably be a very pleasant time for them all living together in such close quarters. They walked though to the dining car where a long wooden table had been set for twenty two, the teachers sat together at one end and the students took seats along the benches. As in Hogwarts empty plates in the middle of the table were suddenly filled with sandwiches of every description, pork pies, sausage rolls, scotch eggs, bowls of crispsand when they had pushed away their dinner plates a mountain of doughnuts magically appeared in front of them, some filled with jam or fruit mixtures, some covered in frosting and sprinkles and a few plain ones piled high with sugar crystals which stuck to their lips and they made a game out of seeing how long they could go without licking their lips.

When the meal was finished Professor McGonagall excused them all and they went back to the common room, Lily and her friend took two seats by the window this time and stared out at the passing scenery, they had left the forest area and were now travelling across a bleak and vast open space with mountains on either side, there were trees and bushes dotted around but precious few, it was mostly an expanse of grassland. Most of the mountains were snow capped and the girls began to feel chilly just from looking at it, deciding to head up to the dormitory in search of warmer clothing they left their window seats and walked back through the girl's common room and upstairs. After pulling on another jumper they each jumped onto their beds and lay looking up at the ceiling talking about Durmstrang and what it was going to be like.

As the dormitory became darker when the sun began to set a house elf ran into the room and lit all the candles in the chandeliers, they were then surrounded by safety bubbles which cocooned the flame and helped to diffuse the glow around the room. Lily got up and looked out of the window and was surprised to see that they were crossing the sea, "How is that possible?" she asked Lizzie when she had pointed it out to her.

"Magic?" she replied shrugging her shoulders, "who cares as long as we are getting there?" she added and flopped back onto her bed.

Before they reached their final destination the Hogwarts Express left the rails it had been using to cross the sea and began to once more travel through dense forest, enormous, tall pine trees enclosed the carriages on either side and nothing whatsoever could be seen through the windows.

Finally after what had seemed an age, the train appeareded to be slowing down and all the passengers congregated in the main common room where both teachers were waiting for them.

"We are almost at Durmstrang students," Professor McGonagall began, "we will be pulling up on the outside of the fortress, the Hogwarts Express will reside there until we leave at the beginning of summer next year."

The students looked eagerly at each other, they were not sure what to expect when they finally saw Durmstrang, it was well known that all wizarding schools were hidden and safely guarded, unless you visited one you would never find out what they actually looked like. "Take a seat while we pull into the station everyone," Professor Longbottom told them and the two friends hurried over to sit in two chintz chairs by the window. Peering out they could see that the dense forest had now cleared and they were travelling up a tall mountain side, the track curved slightly as it wound upwards and they all looked up to see if they could find the top however it was too dark outside to really see anything.

Eventually the track levelled out and the students once more headed to the windows and gasped audibly when they saw a tall, dark fortress rise up in front of them on a plateau near the very top of the mountain. The building was square and extremely wide, unlike Hogwarts which had turrets and towers dotted here and there this structure was completely symmetrical, each corner had a tower and the entire building had battlements around the top. All the windows were thin arrow slots at symmetrical intervals along each level, in total Lily counted six storeys. There was a moat all the way around the fort which was built on a slightly higher platform, as she looked down Lily noticed more slit like windows on the mound and she realised that there must be at least one more storey below the actual castle. It stood proud and menacing looking but it also had a strange welcoming quality about it, it was not magically attractive like Hogwarts but Lily could tell she would be almost as happy here as at her own school.

The train finally came to a standstill outside a huge wooden drawbridge which had been let down for the arrival of its guests. As they all watched, a tall man in an enormous shaggy coat with a thick fur lined hood walked across the drawbridge towards the waiting train, Professors McGonagall and Longbottom went to the main door of the compartment they were all gathered in and stepped outside to greet the man, he smiled as they approached him and shook hands with them both in turn. A short conversation continued and the students could all see their headmistress interacting animatedly with the man who had now removed his hood and revealed a head of long, black and wiry hair. A few minutes later Professor Longottom climbed back onto the train and began to talk to everyone.

"Well, we are now at Durmstrang as you may have guessed, the headmaster is outside waiting to meet you all and we will follow him into the castle and along to the great hall, the students and teachers from Beauxbatons arrived about ten minutes ago and are about to be introduced to our host's students, please leave all of your belongings here and follow me sensibly off the train." They all nodded assent and then one by one alighted from the train forming a snake like procession behind their teacher. The cold air hit them like a blast of ice and they all realised why the headteacher was wearing such a thick coat, the sky was clear of clouds and this made it seem even colder than it probably was, as they looked to each other and muttered, "It's freezing," under their breaths they could see condensation in the air as their warm breath hit the cold air surrounding them.

"Ahh, these must be our new students, good evening everyone," said a booming voice and they momentarily forgot how cold they were feeling as they turned to look at the wrapped up man in front of them. "I am Professor Nitschmann the headmaster here at Durmstrang, welcome to your new school for the coming year, I hope you will all be happy and comfortable within our walls. Please follow me, a sumptuous feast awaits you, I trust you are all hungry after your journey?" They all nodded in reply and continued to follow in the procession as the bulky man led them across the drawbridge and under a large iron gate which had been pulled up to allow them in. Beyond the gate was a large courtyard which the fortress appeared to have been built around, there was an enormous expanse of grass stretching across to the opposite wall of the school, in the middle of this were a number of small green houses and to the left an area was sectioned off with small stone walls which housed undercover seating areas which Lily presumed the students used during their break times.

All along the ground floor of the courtyard was a covered walkway which they began to follow with hurried steps, Lily could see huge stone doorways spaced sporadically along these walkways, some of them were open and revealed soft glowing light which she longed to reach so she could stop feeling so cold. Eventually they stopped at the doorway directly opposite the drawbridge they had crossed on their way in, looking back at the entrance it seemed to be a long way off and the dark haired witch began to get a true feeling for the size of this place, it was at least equal in size to Hogwarts if not bigger.

Through the doorway was a large corridor leading to off to the left and right and directly in front of them were two more large double doors which were currently closed, Lily could hear noise behind them but when the headmaster knocked abruptly with the large brass knocker it fell silent. He went on to open the two doors to reveal a large room with a vaulted ceiling, it was similar in size and dimensions to their own great hall at Hogwarts though it was lacking an enchanted ceiling. There was a long thin table at the end of the hall around which a group of adults, whom they all assumed to be Durmstrang teachers, were seated. Instead of four house table like they had at their own school, the students were sat at seven large stone topped ones, Lily could tell from looking that they were seated in year groups as the closer the table was to the top the older the students sitting at it seemed to be. The two tables closest to the end of the room were larger than the others and a handful of students dressed in pale blue robes were seated amongst the obvious Durmstrang ones. All of the fortress' students were clothed in similar attire to the headteacher who had welcomed them to the school. The overcloaks were made from some kind of animal skin which was brown and they all had large fur lined hoods and hems. Underneath the cloaks Lily could see brown leather thigh length jerkins fastened over a high necked white shirt and close fitting woollen trousers. Both boys and girls were dressed in the same garments and Lily assumed this was to keep out the cold.

They noticed that around the two large tables were a number of empty seats but before they were led over to them Professor Nitschmann lined them up along the front of the teacher's table and introduced them all as the students from Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry, a round of applause resounded round the room and then the sixth years were guided towards one 

table while the seventh years were led towards the other. Lizzie and Lily found seats next to each other and sat down beside a tall Beauxbatons student who smiled shyly at them before turning back to her friend on her right.

The headmaster stepped forwards to a small podium which had appeared magically in front of the staff table, their own professors had taken a seat at the table behind him and were waiting expectantly for the upcoming speech. "Good evening everyone, to our visiting students I bid you a warm welcome on behalf of our staff and pupils and invite you to join us in a lavish feast prepared specially for the occasion, please dig in," he gestured to the tables which were immediately filled with food.

Unlike their own school where the centre plates filled up for children to make their own choices, here the pewter plate in their place was filled with food for them to enjoy and the required cutlery appeared simultaneously beside them. Golden goblets also appeared in each place brimming with mulled wine, the spices of which filled the air making the students feel instantly warmer, a slice of grainy farmhouse pate and a selection of toasted bread piled high up each plate and the ravenous Hogwarts travellers began to dig in with vigour while the students from the other visiting school picked slowly at their own plates. After the remnants of the first course had been magically wiped away and the plates cleaned a large piece of bread appeared in front of them, about the size of a small bloomer, it was hollowed out and as the students watched a hearty thick stew of meat, potatoes, carrots and turnip filled the hollow. The Beauxbatons students at Lily's table looked down in disgust and she heard one of them whisper, "All zis stodge cannot be good for uz," but she ignored the comment as she tucked into the energising meal.

This time when they had finished eating the plates disappeared from the table completely and were replaced by deep polished wooden bowls, within minutes of their appearance they were filled almost to overflowing with treacle sponge and hot, thick custard which Lily had been sure would not fit inside her already filled up stomach. However the smell was so delicious that she manged to force down the entire bowl before sitting back in the wooden chair with her hands clasped over her stomach feeling satisfied and ready to crawl into a warm and comfortable bed.

When all the tables were cleared and the room had fallen into a hushed silence the tall bulky headteacher once more took to the podium and waited for complete silence before speaking, "Now you are fed and watered I am sure many of you are anxious to retreat to your waiting beds in your respective dormitories, however before you can retire for the night there are formalities which must be attended to. He waved his wand in the air and a wisp of blue smoke appeared in front of him, it swirled down from the ceiling and began to form a solid structure on the floor beside the podium, beginning with a tall stone platform which was topped with a large golden goblet, there was a gasp from the room and then all was silent again.

"The goblet of fire," Nitschmann went on, "a sacred and ancient cup used to select the champions who will compete for the prize of eternal glory and of course one thousand galleons," he added chuckling for a moment before going on, "the goblet will be left here in the great hall for one week, if you wish to contend for a place in the tournament you must place your name into the goblet of fire on a small piece of parchment along with the name of your school. However you must think very carefully before doing this, the triwizard tournament can be dangerous and should not be entered into lightly, you will require a great deal of skill and magic to pass the three trials which await the champions and once your name has been withdrawn from the cup you are entered into a binding magical contract which cannot be broken. Remember," he said emphasising his words through intonation and pointing around the room, "only students who are of age by next Friday may enter the competition, if you are still sixteen or under you will not be able to take part, I urge all underage students to stay away from the goblet and do not attempt to fool it by using age potions or charms, you will only find that they backfire on you as your name is tossed back out of the goblet."

"Apparently my Uncles tried to do that in the one my Dad competed in," Lily whispered to her friend, "they ended up with long white beards and hair for about a week!"

"Wasn't your Dad underage though?" Lizzie asked quizzically.

"Yeah, but his name was put in by someone else, someone who wanted him to go through so He-who-we-cannot-name could get him, I don't know all the details but Nitschmann is right, once his name came out of the goblet he had to take part, even though he was only fourteen."

"Bet that was fun!" Lizzie chuckled as she turned back to listen to the end of the speech.

"And so, I remind you once more that the goblet will be here for a week and the three champions will be chosen at the feast next Friday night, until then I urge you to think carefully and enter wholeheartedly if that is what you decide to do. But now, your beds are waiting and, I understand , so are a few Halloween parties." He laughed at his final comment as some of his own students looked nervously around the room, Lily knew that there were often parties held in the dorms which she thought the teachers never knew about but she could never imagine Professor McGonagall making a joke out of them in the same sense and as she looked at her own headteacher she could see her pursing her lips a little and frowning disapprovingly at her Durmstrang counterpart.

Resounding noise began to fill the hall as the students scraped back their chairs and started to make their way out of the great hall to their respective rooms, the Beauxbatons students stood and left together but the Hogwarts ones began to leave in twos and threes making their way slowly back to the train outside. Lily and Lizzie stood up together and headed behind the rest of the crowd towards the doorway, as the crowd began to thin and they were debating whether to use the covered walkway again 

or brave the elements and cross the courtyard directly when someone called out from behind them, "Lily," she turned around and found herself face to face with the handsome Raulph Krum, she almost melted away when he looked her in the face and asked, "how are you?"

"I'm...I'm good," she stuttered and looked down at her feet.

"I didn't realise you would be coming over, are you going to enter the tournament?"

She began to shake her head, "No, I just wanted to come and experience another school for the year, and of course support our champion, whoever that may be. Are you going to enter?"

"Yes, following in my father's footsteps hopefully!" They both laughed at the comment and for a moment Lily actually forgot that she was in another school in another country as she felt as happy talking to this tall, dirty haired boy here as she had by the range in the kitchen at the Burrow. "So a whole year without any family then? I notice none of them are attending, not only have you managed to be away from your brothers but you've managed to ditch your cousins too! I'd better tell my friends to watch out for you!" She immediately began to blush and he laughed again saying, "I see you still inherited the Weasley redness, even if you are officially a Potter! Louis is exactly the same, though of course Victoire and Dominique do not have an embarrassment bone in their body but Louis can turn bright red at the drop of a hat!"

"Hey, Raulph, hurry the party!" a voice called from the doorway.

"Sorry Lily, I must go but it is nice to see you and I hope we get a chance to catch up again soon, it will be good fun to have you here at school with us, goodnight and happy Halloween," he added as he took her hand in his and kissed it then he left the two girls to stride confidently and purposefully towards the door where a few boys had congregated waiting for him to join them. Lily noticed them pointing at her as they set off walking away and Raulph turned back to smile at her before shaking his head at his friends and continuing around a corner and out of sight.

Suddenly Lily felt a sharp tap on her left arm and she turned her head to see a pair of goggling eyes almost hanging out of her best friend's head, "Hello?" she asked flapping her hands about, "who was that? And how do you know him?"

She began to blush a little which was something that did not go unnoticed by Lizzie, Lily took her by the arm and they set off out of the great hall as she started to explain, "That was Raulph Krum."

"The son of Victor Krum, the Bulgarian seeker and world renowned auror?" Lily nodded her head in response, "How do you know him?"

"Victor was in the triwizard tournament with my Dad and my Aunt Fleur, he married Fleur's sister Gabrielle so Raulph is Victorie, Dominique and Louis' cousin." Lizzie stared goggle eyed again as she processed this information.

"What did he mean that his friends had better watch out?"

"He was over at the Burrow the day before we went back to school with his Dad and we were talking about going back, he had realised that I would be at school without my watchful brothers and he was teasing me that I would be playing for the boys," she blushed furiously again but Lizzie didn't notice because they were back in the cold air now and hurrying across the middle of the courtyard desperate to get back to the warm, comforting beds in the Hogwarts Express.

"I think he seemed quite happy that none of your family were going to be around!" Lizzie teased.

"Shut up," Lily replied tapping her friends arm.

"Oh so he just noticed by chance did he? I don't think so Lily!"

"He'll have been looking to see if Dominique was there, they are the same age and he loves to tease her to death, he was probably disappointed that it was me and not her."

"Oh yeah, he looked gutted!" she laughed as they finally reached the drawbridge where a few other Hogwarts and Beauxbatons students were hurrying across to get to their heated accommodation. "I bet I know who you'll be going to the ball with!"

"Lizzie," she screeched tapping her friend's arm again as they passed an enormous silver carriage parked up next to their train.

The pale blue clad students were hurrying up a set of silver steps and clambering inside the carriage closing the door resolutely behind them, "It iz so cold 'ere," they heard one of them say as the door met it's frame.

"They're not wrong," Lily added trying to change the subject but Lizzie was not going to be swayed from the topic of the hunky young man they had just left in the fortress.

"You're not getting out of it young lady, I want to know what you really think about Raulph," her stomach did a little flip at the mention of his name, "he may have been a typical bloke, completely oblivious to the signs but I wasn't!"

"What do you mean?" Lily shrieked as they finally reached the fire warmed common room in the girl's carriage, it was deserted and after closing the door properly behind them they both curled up in a chair directly in front of the fireplace.

"You were stuttering at first and I could tell by the look on your face that you fancied him!"

"I do not!" she squealed in a high pitched voice her face turning instantly beetroot red once more.

"Oh yeah?" Lizzie went on, "And I suppose you are just glowing like a beleesha beacon because you've been so warm as we walked across that freezing cold courtyard?" she lifted one eyebrow at her friend who was speechless, she opened her mouth to argue but had nothing to say so she sat back in her chair and tried to stop her face from glowing so much. "I knew it!" Lizzie concluded and Lily could do nothing but smile.

"Okay so he's cute!"

"Cute? Cute? He's bloody gorgeous!" Lizzie chuckled, "I know what I'd like to do to him and it wouldn't stop with a quick fumble behind the greenhouses!"

"Lizzie," Lily exclaimed turning her head round to make sure they were still alone.

"Come on, don't tell me you don't get all tingly in special places when he looks at you through those deep cerulean eyes!"

"I...what? I don't know what you mean!" she replied still unable to look her friend in the eye and also failing to contain the red 'Weasley' look that was still on her face.

They spent another hour by the fire before they could keep their eyes open no longer and had to make their way up the spiral staircase to the dormitory above. They found Suzanna, Maria and Reese already tucked up in bed so they changed into their bedclothes quietly and hopped into their beds, closing the drapes around the pod Lily blew out the candle and settled down into bed. As her head hit the pillow her thoughts returned to the blue eyed boy who had made her stomach flip when he had said her name, she wondered whereabouts in the immense fortress he was enjoying his private Halloween party while she was tucked up in her comfortable bed thinking about him.

Lizzie had continued to tease her for the last hour trying to illicit her deepest fantasies about the son of Victor Krum, she had wound her up asking questions about him but she had also prompted Lily to start thinking about a few fantasies involving the tall, muscular seventh year who she would be attending school with for the next nine months.

She slept soundly dreaming of Rauplh Krum whisking her off her feet at the Yule ball and taking her away to a secluded corner of the Durmstrang fortress after dancing her to exhaustion. They were sitting together on a seat in a small, dark coach hidden away in the stables, after catching her breath from the dash across the courtyard Lily leaned back against the leather seat of the coach and allowed Raulph's strong arms to ensnare her as he leaned in and placed a soft but firm kiss on her lips. She responded to him by returning the kiss and moaning softly as his tongue flicked gently in and out of her mouth sending shivers down her spine and making her tingle in places she had never felt it before. In the dream Raulph had then laid her down on the coach seat and begun to slowly and sensually peel the soft satin fabric of her dress from her lithe body, revealing her young and pert breasts which he gasped at as he tenderly began to stroke one of them. She had then begun to unfasten the smart dress shirt he was wearing one button at a time as his hands continued to caress her breasts, "Are you sure?" he had whispered to her and she had nodded her response pulling him down on top of her to kiss her again as her hands...

"Atchoo!" Lily sat up abruptly in bed trying to locate the noise which had dragged her from the deep slumber and the wonderful dream she had been having. Shaking her head she realised that it was Lizzie below her who was now clambering out of bed in search of tissues.

"You all right?" Lily sighed, silently cursing her friend for disturbing her.

"Stupid cold weather! I should have known I'd end up with a cold," she replied climbing back into bed and settling down. Within minutes Lily heard her breathing become deeper and steady and she realised that Lizzie had fallen straight back to sleep. The aggravated girl turned onto her side and closed her eyes again, willing her mind to go back to that exact same spot she had left with Raulph Krum, but now she was awake and could do nothing more than think about and imagine what may have happened next if she had remained in her slumber. The more she thought about it the more excited she began to feel and she realised that being at school for a year with this boy may not be as easy and as fun as she had first thought, if she was going to have dreams like this about him then she would blush to the roots of her hair like a typical Weasley every time she came face to face with him. She mused over this for another half an hour or so before she managed to drop back to sleep, however this time her dreams were of quidditch matches and family parties, none of which Krum was even attending and she woke the next morning still silently seething with her friend for disturbing her before she could play out the fantasy.


	4. Chapter 4

**In honour of my first review I am adding the next chapter, would still love to hear what other people are thinking though! Please review!**

Chapter 4 – The Goblet of Fire

The visiting students had been at Durmstrang for a week and were beginning to settle in well, they had been given a few days to acclimatise and explore the vast castle in which they would be taking lessons and eating their meals each day. Lily and Lizzie had risen early most mornings and dressed quickly in lots of layers, after donning fur lined boots and cloaks they had set off out of the train and into the icy cold air. They explored all corners of the fortress both inside and out, during the day they could see that the mountain it was sat on was as high as it had seemed when they had wound their way up it in the train, below them they could see a deep valley covered in trees and all around them were other mountains stretching as far as the eye could see. The school was well guarded from muggles as it seemed to be sitting in the middle of a circle of mountains, hiding it from view by anyone who did not know that it was there. Inside the courtyard the girls were once more able to see the four towers in each corner, there were signs on most of the main doors and they quickly discovered that the two to the far right and left of the entrance were the dormitories, girls in one side and boys in the other, on the adjacent left to the entrance was the teachers' rooms and the remaining one housed the headmaster's office and home. Lily had been right in thinking that there was a seventh floor beneath the main part of the castle, this made seven storeys in total enough for each year group to have a dormitory in each tower. The corridors and rooms between the four towers were classrooms along the front and side walls and the one opposite to the entrance housed the great hall they had visited on their first night, a library and various common rooms and study places for the students. The more they explored the more they found but at least it was difficult to get lost, unlike Hogwarts which had taken them an age to map out for themselves, even as sixth years Lily and Lizzie had found themselves lost in the vast halls and passageways of their own school.

After a few days they were given timetables which matched up to their chosen subjects from Hogwarts, Lily and Lizzie were doing most of the same subjects and found themselves with almost identical timetables except for Wednesday afternoons when Lily had Care of Magical creatures while Lizzie attended divination. Unlike in their own school the sixth and seventh years took four NEWTs each year so the new students from both schools found themselves studying with the older pupils at Durmstrang along with those of their own age.

The first day of their new timetables began on the Wednesday and at nine o clock the two friends found themselves bundled up against the cold and leaving the warmth of the great hall after breakfast to walk across the courtyard into the third greenhouse. It was no warmer inside than it was out and the students already waiting indoors were stamping their feet and pulling their cloaks tightly around themselves, as the teacher closed the green house door behind him Lily groaned softly as she remembered this was a double period and they would be in there for an hour and a half.

By the time they left the Herbology classroom Lily's feet were numb and her fingers would not work any longer, she was frozen to the bone and could not stop herself from shivering, the Beauxbaton students were the same and all the blue and black clad pupils could be seen hurrying towards the nearest entrance desperate to find warmth. The Durmstrang students were evidently used to the cold as they appeared to have no trouble staying warm in the greenhouse, or indeed outside, and they made their way slowly to the next class walking across the courtyard at a leisurely pace.

After a double session of potions, this time in a warm fire lit dungeon on the underground floor of the castle, Lily and Lizzie now warm and comfortable headed to the great hall for lunch, they sat at the same table as the other sixth years and tucked in to a bowl of thick pea and ham soup with doorstep wedge chunks of bread slathered in golden butter. After a dessert of muffins accompanied by steaming mugs of hot chocolate Lily prepared herself for another lesson outside while Lizzie teased her about the fact that divination was in a classroom on the fifth floor which would probably be cosy and warm like their previous lesson.

Dragging herself to her feet ten minutes later Lily reluctantly left her friend at the entrance to the great hall and once more walked out to the wintry courtyard, her care of magical creatures lesson was to take place in another penned corner where she had spotted a variety of strange creatures earlier in the week. Walking in the direction of the pen she saw a group of Durmstrang students standing in a crowd next to one of the pens, they were laughing and joking about something as Lily approached, she realised they were mostly boys and for the first time since she had arrived she felt a little shy at being alone. As she reached the crowd they broke apart and turned to face the new arrival in their lesson, Lily could feel her face turning bright red as they all stared at her, she raised her eyes once and her heart skipped a beat as she came face to face again with Raulph.

"Lily," he said, "taking care of magical creatures? Hagrid will be happy!" She nodded in response feeling once more like a foolish twelve year old girl with a crush, the way she often felt around this handsome boy. "Meet some of my friends," he went on seemingly missing the fact that she was now practically glowing, "this is Bjorn," he indicated a boy with long ginger hair and a partial beard. "Knute," this time a tall, thin dark haired boy stepped forward and took her hand in his, "Oskar, Sitric and Peter," he added pointing in turn at three more boys who all nodded back at her. They lingered over her for a while until Raulph coughed at them and they turned away to continue talking. "Just ignore these oafs," he went on, "you can work with me if you want to, I promise not to leer all over you like that!"

"Th...thank you," she stuttered, thinking she wouldn't really mind Raulph Krum leering over her all day but she dashed the thought away as she suddenly became embarrassed. The dream she had had on her first night at the school had just flashed through her mind and now that she was standing in front of the subject she was feeling silly and slightly ashamed of her vivid thoughts about him.

"Gather around students," said a sharp voice from behind them and Lily saw a teacher dressed in elk skins had approached and was directing them to one of the pens, a few pupils dressed in pale blue robes had also joined them in the last few minutes and she could tell by the looks on their faces that they were as happy as she was to be back out in the cold. However now Lily started to think about it she realised that she had forgotten about the bitter air as she had been distracted by seeing Raulph, she went on to think that perhaps it would not be so bad if it meant she got to spend an hour a week in his company.

"Lil, over here," he called interrupting her thoughts and she turned to see that he had picked up a small animal which she had never seen before, it had four long spindly legs which looked as if they would never be able to take it's weight, it had a small fat body which was covered in fur and a tiny pointed face with two long rabbit like ears, it was snarling and squirming in Raulph's hands which were clad in dragon hide gloves, "get a pair of these on and help me feed this thing!"

She grabbed a pair of the gloves from a table near the teacher who had introduced herself as Frau Morton, she explained that the creature was a billypock, a woodland creature which burrowed around the roots of trees with its long front claws, the object of the lesson was to try and tame the creature enough so that it would allow them to touch it. They had been given an assortment of toys, food and drink to try and tempt the defenceless mammal which Raulph and Lily proceeded to try in turn until they discovered that when it was given a stuffed fluffy teddy it curled its body around it and slipped into a sort of loving trance which made it dozy enough to lose its viciousness.

Lily tentatively reached out a hand to stroke it concentrating heavily on making sure she was gentle with it and she was almost touching the being when Raulph went, "Bah!" in her ear and she jumped backwards landing on his feet, her heart was beating rapidly and she was clinging to her chest sure that it had actually just jumped out of her body. Raulph grabbed each of her arms and began to laugh at her, she was so shocked that she wanted to shout at him for scaring her but the fact that his hands were touching her stopped her from doing anything and for a second she leaned back against him as if she was still trying to steady herself. After a few seconds he stopped giggling and said, "Sorry, I couldn't resist! The look of concentration on your face was immense! I'm terrible aren't I?" he guffawed again and she turned to look at him trying to force a look of annoyance at his practical joke, "Come on, it's still dozy, try again I promise I won't do it again!" She managed to reach out and stroke the creature a few times during the next half hour but Raulph's shoulders kept shaking up and down everytime he thought about her reaction and she swiped him across the arm a few times before the end of the lesson.

Once Frau Morton had given them homework to write up the experiment they had conducted along with their findings in no less than three feet of parchment she dismissed them and Lily removed the gloves she had been wearing and rubbed her hands together vigorously to warm them up. She had been stood outside for a long time and her feet had turned into blocks of ice again, so much so that when they set off back towards the fortress she could only hobble over the frozen ground a sight which caused her new care of magical creatures partner to laugh out loud again.

"Oh, shut up, I'm cold!" she shrieked but he did not relent, by the time they had reached the doorway which led to the common rooms Raulph was holding his belly and had to steady himself on the doorframe.

"Okay, I'm sorry Lily, I shouldn't be laughing at you," he tried to stop himself before he continued, "have you got another lesson now?"

"What? Oh no, no I'm free for the rest of the day."

"So where are you going?"

"Anywhere that's warm!" she replied stamping her feet and Raulph had to control himself so that he would not fall into anoher fit of laughter.

"I'm free too until four, do you want to come and hang in the sixth and seventh year common room for a bit? There'll be a fire in there and I can make sure we have fireside seats." Lily was taken a back, had he just invited her to join him somewhere? Did he enjoy her company that much? She had thought he had taken pity on her for having to attend the last class without any other Hogwarts students, but had he done it because he liked to talk to her?

"Well...I..." she was thinking about the three sets of homework she had already been given that day which were all to be handed in by Monday morning, but the thought of an afternoon with this handsome young man was too tempting to resist, "okay!" she finished brightly and he gestured with his hand along the corridor to their left and she followed him as he set off down it.

"In here," he said and opened a large oak door, behind the door was a room about the same size as the Griffindor common room, in the centre of one wall was an enormous stone fireplace surrounded by old but comfortable looking chairs and sofas. Dotted around the edges of the room were magnificent highly polished writing desks with straight backed chairs and there were a multitude of narrow arrow slit windows along the opposite wall, each one had a single deep maroon curtain hanging at it. "Shall we?" Raulph asked catching her attention which was still wandering around the cosy room, as she looked back at him she saw that he was indicating two empty seats right next to the fire, she laughed and dropped her bag at the side of one before sitting down in it and pointing her slowly thawing feet at the golden orange flames in the grate. She looked around the room again as Raulph copied her move, there were a few other students sat at some of the tables all with their heads bent over 

books and parchment and in one corner there were a group of boys sitting with their feet on a small wooden table talking animatedly to each other and laughing at one another's comments. "Have you defrosted yet?" her companion chuckled and she threw him a piercing look as she shook her head.

"How come you're not freezing your ass off?" she asked and he laughed.

"We are simply used to the cold weather," he laughed and then smiled at her, "no, we are very adept at casting warming charms on our clothes, see feel this," he continued holding out one of his strong muscular arms for her to touch, hestitantly she reached up and ran her fingers along his woollen sleeve, she was surprised to find that it was incredibly warm, even though he had only had a cloak over the top of it during the entire lesson. "Too many layers makes it difficult to work practically and when you are indoors where the fires are burning you end up sweltering and having to constantly remove and then carry excess clothing. One of the first charms you are taught at Durmstrang is to imbibe your uniform with warmth, the spell will last for just over an hour and as long as your skin is completely covered your body will stay as warm as if you had six or seven layers of clothing! It wears off quickly when the hour is up or it can be removed if you feel too warm back inside the castle." Lily suddenly realised that she was still running her fingers up and down Raulph's muscles and she quickly withdrew it, though he didn't seem to have minded at all. "Shall I teach you how to do it?"

"Oh yes please," she almost begged, desperate for a way to stay warm while she inhabited the top of this high mountain.

"It's easy," he told her getting up from his chair and walking to stand behind hers, "get out your wand," she did as she was told and then waited for him to instruct her on what to do. "The trickiest bit is getting the wand movement right," he began, "you have to jab it forcefully at each item of clothing you want to charm, but you have to make sure you don't actually touch them," he went on and then surprised her by taking hold of her wand hand which was gripping her pale silver birch stick, his hand closed over hers completely and she felt a rush of warmth run up her arm as her stomach simultaneously flipped over, then he pulled the hand back and jabbed it forward directing it at her free arm but stopping millimetres away from it. "Quick and forceful," he said letting go of her hand, "now you try it," he moved to stand by her side and she quickly composed herself before attempting the jab.

She tried it eleven times in total before she was finally able to stop the correct distance from her arm, twice more he took her hand in his and modelled how to do it again, and each time the brown eyed girl felt her heartbeat quicken significantly. By the eighteenth try she had managed to get it right three times in a row, "Well done," Raulph said giving her a tiny clap which earned him a reproachful look, "now the incantation," he went on ignoring her facial expression, "_insulatum. _Try it."

Lily pulled back her wand once more and jabbed at her arm whispering "_insulatum_," suddenly she felt a rush of warmth run up her limb as if she had just put on a jumper which had been hanging in front of the fire for hours, she immediately felt cosy and warm and she looked up at Raulph who smiled at her.

"It's great isn't it? Absolutely magic when you have to get out of bed before the fires have been lit for quidditch practise!" Lily nodded in response and then pointed her wand at her socks, whispering the same incantation and jabbing towards them, she felt her feet instantly heat up and within seconds had hot aches in her toes, but she didn't care, she finally felt like they were thawing out and realised she would not have to face the prospect of frostbite over the next six months or so.

"Thanks," she said looking back at the dirty blonde haired boy who was watching her feet with an amused expression on his face.

"So what other subjects are you taking? We might have more classes together!" he said

They spent another hour and a half discussing school and Lily's family, unfortunately she did not have any other lessons with him but he had suggested that as they had this free period every week after care of magical creatures then perhaps they could study together afterwards and complete any homework assignment they were given by Morton. The suggestion had made her feel giddy as she thought about the prospect of spending almost a whole afternoon with Raulph every week but she had managed to stay cool, calm and collected as she agreed that it would be nice to have a study partner and given her assent.

Shortly before four o clock her companion excused himself to attend a final charms lesson and Lily walked out of the common room turning left as he went right, "look out for me at Friday's feast!" he said and then hurried off towards his session.

Lily, who was now warm and comfortable, re-incanted the insulation spell and set off out into the cold with a wide smile on her face, she had spent a wonderful afternoon with a witty, handsome and charming boy and had agreed to spend the same three hours with him every week, nothing at all could have dampened her spirits and when she reached the train by the fortress gate she climbed into the girls carriage and came face to face with Lizzie who yelled, "Where have you been? I've been searching all over for you, I though you had a free period after care of magical creatures?"

"I did!" she replied smiling smugly at her friend.

"So where did you go after? And what's put that smile on your face?" she asked curiously, "I thought you'd be back here, I've been waiting since two o clock!"

"Sorry," Lily replied still beaming brightly, "I was with..." she paused, "Raulph."

"Ooooo!" Lizzie squealed, "How come? And what happened?"

"Nothing!" she shrieked as they made their way over to a couple of squashy armchairs by the windows, "he was in my care of magical creatures class, he offered to be my partner." Lizzie's eyes lit up, "I thought he was just being kind because I was the only one there from our school, but then when we left the class and walked back over to the castle to warm up he asked me if I wanted to go to the common room with him, so I did."

"Oh Lily, how exciting! What happened there? Did you kiss him?"

"What?" Lily screamed as the blood rushed into her face, "Of course not! We sat by the fire and he showed me how to do a charm which insulates your clothes with a warmth, then you don't need to wear so many layers."

"Oo show me, I'm sick of taking my three jumpers off and then pulling them back on an hour later to walk through this damn cold air! Anyway, what else?"

"Nothing, that was it," Lizzie eyed her sceptically, "I swear," she said stressing her intonation, "he asked me if I wanted to study with him after care of magical creatures every week and then we talked about my family."

"See, I knew it, he likes you. I bet you a hundred galleons he asks you to the Yule ball."

"Shut up Liz, he's just a friend and that's all he sees me as, he's being kind because I'm new here and he knows my family, he's probably bored on Wednesday afternoons because none of his other friends were around, so he was just asking me to keep him company. He'll just get me to do all the work and then copy it like most of the boys do at home!"

Lizzie sighed and nodded her head, "If you say so," but the look on her face was not that of a person who was totally convinced by that story.

They spent an hour practising the _insulatum_ spell and by the time they had to leave the train to go for dinner, Lizzie had mastered it in a few less tries than Lily had needed. Lizzie was an accomplished witch and it never usually took her long to learn a new spell, she reminded Lily a little of her Aunt Hermione in that respect, a witch who could take to almost anything, but in personality they were completely different.

They stepped out into the dark, icy night feeling warm and cosy in their usual school uniform, they took a leisurely walk around the covered walkways of the courtyard on their way to the great hall and took in a little more of their new home. On their first evening and subsequent exploratory days they had not noticed the gargoyles standing on the top of each of the four towers, they were looking out in the four compass directions perched high on a stone sphere on the corner of the battlements. As the girls looked closely at them they noticed their heads moving slowly from side to side as if they were on guard, as one of the faces turned almost inwards on the fortress Lily and Lizzie saw that they had large, bulbous eyes and grotesque, evil looking smiles. They shuddered a little and set off at her quicker pace reaching the great hall just as a class of first years seemed to approach it.

Weaving in and out of the little children the two sixth years headed for their usual table and took seats beside each other. As soon as their bottoms had touched the seats a plate full of garlic mushrooms appeared in front of them both, dripping in a creamy sauce and they tucked in as if they had not eaten for weeks. The mushrooms were followed up by mashed potato, sausages and vegetables in onion gravy and finally a large helping of treacle sponge and custard. As it was not a feast day the students could eat at any time between five and six thirty depending upon when they finished the day's lessons therefore people were constantly seating themselves or getting up to leave and the tables housed pupils eating different courses of their meals at different times. Lily thought that this was a much better idea than waiting for everyone as they did at Hogwarts though by the time she saw Raulph enter the hall surrounded by the group of boys she had met earlier Lily was disappointed to realise that she had already eaten her own meal and Lizzie was waiting eagerly for her so they could walk back to the Hogwarts Express.

She rose from her seat and caught Raulph's attention, he nodded at her and smiled before brushing past her to take his seat at the next table, "Was it good?" he asked as she began to walk away.

"Sorry?" she answered turning to look at those deep blue eyes again.

"Dinner, was it good? I'm starving! I always am on Wednesdays I get two hours off in the middle of the afternoon and then I have two hours of charms until six o clock! Well at least from now on I'll have wonderful company in my free period," he smiled at her and she tried to stop herself from blushing.

"A-ha," was all she managed to say and she wanted to kick herself for doing it. She was always comfortable and easy with him when they had been in each other's company for a while but when she first ran into him she became a gibbering wreck for ten minutes, what the hell was wrong with her? "Yeah...dinner...dinner was good," she managed to gabble, "garlic mushrooms, 

sausage and mash and then treacle sponge," she nodded at his plate which had just filled with the creamy garlic mushrooms she had recently enjoyed.

"Brilliant," he aid turning to look at his plate, "see you later then," he finished without turning back to look at her.

"Yep," she replied and then allowed her friend to take her by the arm and lead her out of the large dining room like a patient on the closed ward of St Mungos, who needed to be led everywhere.

"What was that?" Lizzie chuckled when they were clear of the room and any possible eavesdroppers.

"I don't know!" she wailed burying her face in her hands, "I turn into a moron for about ten minutes every time he speaks to me!"

"Well Lil, if he still wants to spend three hours a week with you after that he must seriously like you."

"Don't," Lily tutted swiping at her friend's arm, "I've told you we're friends!" Her voice had risen and Lizzie decided to agree for a quiet life, but inwardly she bet that if they weren't a couple by the end of the month she'd eat her wand.

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The next two days passed quickly, everyone attended their classes and Lily and Lizzie spent most of Thursday night attacking the growing pile of homework they were being assigned, clearly it was as important a part of the curriculum at Durmstrang as it was at Hogwarts and by the time they crawled into their pods at midnight they had barely scratched the surface. As she settled down to sleep Lily realised that she should have spent her free period on Wednesday as it was supposed to be spent, studying, but nothing in the world would have stopped her going with Raulph to the common room, however she did chide herself and make a mental note to ensure that the following week they did actually get their homework done for Frau Morton and then at least it would be one down.

The feast for the Goblet of Fire was due to begin at six o clock as all lessons ended at three on Friday afternoons, so at quarter to six Lily and Lizzie packed up their school bags and deposited them on their beds before checking their hair and make up in a mirror and dashing down the stairs to the compartment door. Deciding that it might be hot in the great hall with all the students eating at the same time they had not cast the insulation charm so when they stepped out of the carriage they felt the full effects of the arctic weather which made them almost sprint across the middle of the courtyard to reach the haven of the great hall as quickly as they could. Entering the room beside each other they noticed that most students were already seated and as she reached the sixth year table she noticed Raulph on the seventh year one to their right, he had his back to her but seemingly sensing her appearance he turned around and nodded before rejoining the conversation he was sharing with his friends. Lily blushed mildly and Lizzie gave her a knowing look which caused her friend to shake her head once more, "Just sit down," she scowled and Lizzie obeyed.

After another extravagant meal the room full of satisfied people turned to look at Professor Nitschmann who had risen to stand by the goblet of fire which was still in the centre of the room on the large pedestal.

"Good evening everyone," he began, "and welcome to the drawing of the champion's names. Before I begin I would just like to take this opportunity to say good luck to all the contenders who have entered their names. I must tell you that if your name is drawn from the cup you should go through the door to my right," he indicated a tall thin oak doorway behind the staff table, "where Ludo Bagman is waiting to give you your instructions." He smiled at everyone and then in a deeper voice said, "Now..." and he lifted his hand in the air above the goblet.

Blue flames suddenly rose out of the chalice making the whole room gasp as they swirled around making azure smoke trails in the air, they rose and fell swiftly for a few minutes and then as a single flame began to ascend the crowd noticed that a small, square piece of parchment with singed edges was rising into the air with it. When the flame had released it's hold on the paper it remained suspended in mid air for a few seconds before gliding gently down like a feather into the headmaster's hand, he grasped it and flipped it over, "The Hogwarts champion will be..." the silence in the room was eerie as everyone waited with baited breath for the man to continue, all Hogwarts students were perched on the edge of their seats listening intently, "...Terry Dreary," he called and the room erupted in a round of applause accompanied by a few cat calls and much shaking of hands on the seventh year table, Terry looked over at the sixth years and nodded as they all clapped their hands in his direction and looked pleased for him, even the contenders who had not been chosen were wearing gracious faces which showed that they were happy for him too.

The modest looking boy rose from his seat at the table and headed through the doorway behind the teachers, once the door had closed the eerie silence returned as all heads turned back to face the headteacher, they noticed that he was looking up at the goblet of fire and they could all see that another piece of parchment was already twirling it's way towards his outstretched hand. "The champion from Beauxbaton..." everyone listened keenly again, "...Genevieve Laroche," the same resounding clap echoed around the room as a tall, thin, blonde haired girl rose from the sixth year table and bowed her head towards the other students from her school, she swept away from the table gracefully and walked through the narrow oak door. Once more silence returned to await the name of the final contestant, this time the piece of parchment was just rising out of the goblet and was still encased in flame, as it left its cocoon the tiny piece of paper took its time to wind down to the headteacher's hand, it 

seemed to be taunting them as if stretching out their curiosity. "And finally, the champion from Durmstrang..." all eyes in the room were staring widely and all ears were straining to make sure they did not miss the name, "...is Raulph Krum."

The round of applause this time was deafening and far louder then it had been for the other chosen champions, but then Raulph would be representing most of them in the tournament, as he rose from his seat he nodded at a few people and then shook hands with all the seventh years who were desperate to show their support to their friend. He was clapped on the back by many of them too as he began to walk away from the table, he turned back once and looked directly at Lily, she almost missed the sly wink he sent her and she only just managed to smile back at him as he turned to face the door he was heading to. Lily had almost missed the wink but Lizzie had not, she had caught it almost as if it was directed at her and she smiled to herself once more remembering the small bet she had made with herself but deciding not to start another discussion with her deluded friend.

The gathering petered out once the champions had gone into the antechamber to the great hall, Professor Nitschmann informed everyone that the first task would take place on the 30th November and that they would be able to watch the event from specially constructed stands outside the castle grounds, he then bid them goodnight before returning to his seat at the staff table. Students rose in twos and threes to make their way out to various destinations, people were discussing the chosen champions and speculating on their ability to complete the triwizard tournament. The two Hogwarts girls knew that Terry was a good champion to represent their school as he had gained outstanding in all his owls and was predicted outstanding in his NEWTs too, he was a conscientious pupil who worked hard to get good results (this they all knew because Mel had informed them over and over again). However, Lily was also aware that Raulph was a strong wizard too, he was the son of Victor Krum who had, of course, once been a triwizard champion himself and had done very well in the first two tasks. Lily knew she would be quite torn when it came to who she should support.

As they settled down in bed that night Lily laid back and thought about the upcoming tournament and what the tasks might involve, she knew from her father's tales that the tasks could be dangerous and that they were designed to test each witch or wizard to their fullest potential. She knew that Raulph would be well prepared for what he was about to face as his father would have told him the same stories but she hoped it would not be too big a challenge.

"Mel will be happy," Lizzie said stopping Lily's train of thought abruptly, "I wonder if they'll let her come here for the Yule ball? She'll be beside herself if Terry has to take someone else, he has to open with a dance doesn't he?"

"Yes," Lily replied remembering the tales her mother had told her about her Dad having to do the first dance in his Yule ball, she had seen him dance with her mother on many occasions and she thought he was a good dancer, but apparently that had only come about once he had started dating Ginny. Apparently he had been gangly and awkward at the school ball with a dark haired witch from Griffindor who was non too pleased when the first dance ended and he remained sat down for the rest of the night.

"I wonder if anyone will invite us?" Lizzie mused, "Well me," she added, "we all know who you'll be going with!" Lily blushed once more but ignored her friend's attempt to wind her up again, instead she pretended to be asleep and thought back on the dream she had had on the night they had arrived at Durmstrang where she had been in the coach with Raulph after spending the night dancing away, she wished she could have finished the dream and on more than one occasion had played out her own ending where she ended up doing a lot more than a little kissing and cuddling on the back seat. Lily was a woman, one who would be seventeen in five weeks and as a woman she had urges and fantasies that she longed to play out with a handsome young man such as Raulph. Pulling the covers over her head she settled in to sleep hoping that the dream would visit her once more and she would get to see it play out properly rather than just think it.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Sorry its been a while since my last update on this story but thanks to my few reviewers anyway and I hope this one matches up to the others!**

Chapter five – Letters from home

The next couple of weeks passed quickly and Lily found herself counting down the days until the next Wednesday when she would be able to spend some time alone with Raulph, she still became a schoolgirl with a crush for the first ten minutes each week when she met him by the wall penning the magical creatures in, but he never seemed to notice her nervousness and by the end of the lesson she would be chatting animatedly as they made their way to the common room. They spent the first hour of both weeks completing their homework set by Frau Morton and would then spend another hour chatting about her family and the upcoming first task of the triwizard tournament.

"I'm still surprised that Dominique didn't put her name in for the tournament," Raulph contemplated aloud as Lily packed her newly completed essay in her bag, "I thought Fleur would have had her contending."

"She wasn't interested at all, I asked her after I'd put my name in to come along but she said she didn't want to get herself all dirty and sweaty completing physical and dangerous tasks," Raulph chuckled at her, "I mean could you imagine what she'd do if a nail broke while she was fighting a dragon?"

"Well I reckon the dragon would come off worst if it did!" he guffawed and they fell about in fits of laughter, from that point on everything was hysterical and by the time Lily left Raulph to attend his last lesson she was again in high spirits and wanted to skip back to the train like a little girl.

When she got there she found Lizzie curled up by the fire with a piece of parchment in her hand, "It's from Mel," she said waving it in the air so Lily dropped her bag in a nearby chair and hurried to sit by her friend and read it, they were enjoying being at Durmstrang but still missed their friends terribly.

_Dear Lily and Lizzie_

_We miss you loads! And I miss Terry too but I am so happy that he was chosen as the Hogwarts champion, I can't believe it but I know he'll be good at it, he knows EVERYTHING! School seems pretty quiet even though there are only actually twenty of you missing, some of the classes seem really empty but they are still working us as hard as usual!_

_So what's it like at Durmstrang? Steph wants to know how many good looking boys you've met since you arrived and have any of them asked you to the ball? We are dying to learn all about your new school, is it like Hogwarts? How are your teachers? Do you have to do as much work as we do? _

_There's another trip to Hogsmeade planned in two weeks, it'll be a bit lonely without you but Steph and I are going to share a few butterbeers and toast you two!_

_Anyway on to my big news, Terry wrote to me and said that he'd asked McGonagall if I would be able to come up to Durmstrang for the Yule Ball on Christmas Day and she said yes! My Mum and Dad didn't mind and they said they will apparate me to the nearest village and I can stay until the day after Boxing Day! I am so excited I can hardly wait, Stephanie is jealous as hell that I'll get to spend Christmas with you guys. McGonagall said there was a spare bed in your dormitory so I'll be staying with you too. I am counting down the days and am so excited about seeing Terry as well._

_Well we've got a pile of homework waiting in the corner so I'll say goodbye, be in touch soon and I'll see you in 28 days!_

_Love from Melissa x_

"Poor Stephanie," Lily sighed, "but it will be good to see Mel! We should write back to her and tell them all about school here."

"And about Raulph?"

"What about him?"

"About how he puts a grin like a Cheshire cat's on your face every week!" Lily batted her arm and then settled down into the chair opposite her friend and smiled. She had given up trying to convince her that Raulph only saw her as a friend and had decided that the only way she would see it would be when he didn't ask her to go to the Yule ball on Christmas Day. Lizzie had already found a date for it, a shy Beauxbaton student called Francis had approached them after a potions lesson and asked if he could talk to her alone, they had been working with him for a few lessons and he and Lizzie seemed to get on well. By the time she met Lily back on the Hogwarts Express Francis had asked her to go to the ball with him and also wondered if she would like to take a walk around the grounds on Saturday morning. Lizzie had agreed and returned to tell her friend all about it, she had said he was sweet and not unattractive and though she didn't particularly fancy him she could enjoy the odd date with him and a partner for the Yule ball was high on her list of priorities.

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It was the day before the first task of the triwizard tournament and Lizzie was taking another walk around the grounds beyond the fortress walls, one which would undoubtedly end in a kiss as the previous one had, so Lily was sure she would not be 

seeing her best friend until at least tea time. She took the opportunity of being on her own for a while and decided to go up to the school's owlery to post the letter they had written back to Melissa and Stephanie, it was on the outside of the fortress and was a fairly short tower in comparison to the one at Hogwarts which housed the school's and the student's owls. The roof was made of tin and the thin stone walls were punctuated quite often with small archways which allowed the birds to enter the building and at the bottom of the circular structure was a single door to allow people in when they needed to use an owl. Lily entered and walked across the straw covered floor to find an owl ready to take her letter, choosing a small tawny owl waiting on a low perch she tied the letter to its leg and it took off into the air circling the inside of the building once before swooping out of a high archway and out of sight.

Turning around to leave the room Lily was almost knocked over by a huge brown bird which had flown through the door that she had left open, ducking so that it would not clip her with its wings she allowed it to pass before walking back to the entrance however when she reached the doorway a ruffling sound made her turn around and she saw that the owl was still behind her holding a scroll in its sharp claws. She lifted up her hands and the creature dropped it's post into her hands, looking down at it she saw her own name written in her mother's neat handwriting. Lily decided to head back down to the fortress courtyard before opening the letter, she wanted to sit and digest whatever her mother had to tell her about home so casting the insulatum charm on her clothes to keep her warm, she ran at a steady pace back to the main entrance to the castle and then hurried towards the centre of the courtyard where the small covered over benches were sitting empty of students. She dropped onto one and then hurriedly unfurled the letter and began to read.

_Darling Lily_

_We all miss you and hope that you are having a wonderful time at Durmstrang, we heard that Raulph has become a champion his father must be so proud, your Aunt Fleur is impressed and asks you to pass on her best wishes to him. _

_James' passing out was a lovely occasion, he looked very smart in his auror robes and he looked proud as punch to finally be becoming one, he has made a lot of friends during his training and has also managed to catch the eye of a few young ladies around the Ministry too! Vernon and Albus made the ceremony too and so did your Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione._

_On another note, the reason I am writing you this letter is that I have some sad news to inform you of, I am so sorry that we had to do this through a letter but we did not want you to have to come home while you are studying so far away. Unfortunately Sweetheart, Kreacher passed away last night, it was very peaceful, he went in his sleep. Your father and I are going to arrange a small funeral for him but you do not need to come all the way back for it, I know you will feel that you owe it to him but he would not want you to, he was so pleased when he found out you would be going to Durmstrang for the year and would want you to stay there and not miss out on any opportunity. He was a good elf to all of us and we will miss him dearly, we are going to hold the short service on Wednesday so if you want to offer a silent prayer to him I am sure he will hear it._

_Again I am sorry that I had to pass this news to you in writing, but do not be too sad for him, he had a long life and the last twenty years or so that he has been working for you father and us were the best years of his life, celebrate what he has done and remember him with a smile on your face._

_We love you and miss you every day._

_Lots of love from Mum and Dad._

Lily's eyes had begun to cloud over with tears as she read the dreadful news about her beloved house elf, Kreacher had been there all her life and though she knew he was old even for a magical elf the fact that he had actually left this world made her heart break. She rolled the parchment back up and placed it in her pocket before burying her face in her hands and sobbing for the poor little creature.

The forlorn girl did not know how long she had been sitting there weeping and thinking about the funny little being who had brought her up almost as much as her parents had, the sky above her had grown dark and at some point the insulatum charm had worn off her clothes but she had been so upset that she hadn't noticed. She was just beginning to realise how numb her fingers and toes were when a soft voice nearby said, "Lily?" she looked up into the beautiful concerned looking eyes of Raulph, "Are you alright?" he asked and she shook her head, for once she was not behaving like a silly school girl around him as she didn't really care how she acted at that moment in time. "What's the matter?" he asked in a caring tone taking a seat next to her. Lily didn't answer his question but withdrew the letter from her bag and handed it to him.

Raulph unfurled it and began to read, when he had finished he rolled it back up and put his arm around her, "I'm so sorry Lily, I take it he was your house elf?" she nodded in response. He began to rub her arm in a consoling way and murmured shushing noises as he pulled her into the crook of his shoulder and allowed the upset girl to sob into it. "You're freezing Lily," he went on gently, "how long have you been out here?"

She wiped her eyes and then sat up taking her head away from his shoulder, "I don't know," she barely whispered, "it was still light, I cast the insulatum spell but it must have worn off."

"Come on lets get you inside where it's warm, have you eaten?"

She shook her head again, "I don't want to."

"That's okay. Let's just get you somewhere warmer," he went on picking up her bag for her as he stood up, he held out his hand for her and she took it gratefully pulling herself to her feet and allowing the concerned young man to lead her into the fortress. She followed him into a room, it was on the same corridor as the common rooms but was much smaller than the one they had been spending Wednesday afternoons in. It was decorated in exactly the same way but only had a few chairs and one or two study desks pushed under two small windows. Lily didn't really take much notice of her surroundings as he guided her to an armchair by the fire, she felt the warmth from it immediately begin to thaw her numb extremities and smiled briefly in thanks at Raulph when he took the seat next to her.

"Are you sure you don't want anything to eat? I can bring you something in here from the hall if you don't want the crowds." Again she shook her head and stared into the fire, he felt bad for the pretty young girl who was grieving and remembered how hard it could be to lose someone whom you loved, he had lost his Grandmother over the summer and had spent a few days in limbo after it had happened, he realised that she would probably be feeling guilty too about not being able to go home for the burial and guilt added to grief was not a good combination.

"Has he always been your house elf?" she nodded her head back at him still not taking her eyes from the dancing flames.

"He brought us up with Mum and Dad," she whispered softly finally stemming back the tears that had been falling for so long, her eyes were stinging and the blaze in front of her was making them worse but she couldn't seem to tear her gaze from its warming glow.

"He'll be in a happy place now, Lily," he said placing his hand over hers which was resting on the chair arm, he felt that she needed physical contact as a comfort and he noticed that after he had done this she turned to stare at him instead of the fire.

Looking up into his eyes Lily could feel the same warmth that she was getting from the fire, suddenly she seemed to realise who she was with, she had known before but not actually understood, "Oh, Raulph I...I shouldn't be...you should be...it's...it's the first task tomorrow, you should be getting ready for it, thank you for...for...but I ought to go and let you prepare," she stood up to leave but he jumped to his feet too.

"It's okay," he murmured softly, "you shouldn't be alone, this close to the task I don't think there is anything more I can prepare for, besides sitting here with you is hardly a chore."

"I know but..." she began but at that moment her tears threatened to spill again as she thought about why he was offering to comfort her, he saw this in her eyes and pulled her into his arms for a hug, wrapping his arms around her he stroked her back and whispered, "it's alright," as she sobbed once more onto his shoulder.

After a few minutes when she had controlled the flow of tears she pulled her head up to thank him for being so kind and Raulph looked down into her tear stained eyes, "Thank y-" she began but he cut her off swiftly by carefully placing his soft supple lips on hers, his mouth parted slightly as he did this and Lily found herself responding for a moment and parting her own lips to allow the kiss to deepen, his hands wound his way up to her face so he was cupping it gently as he continued to kiss her sumptuous lips, she felt his tongue gently slide into her mouth and she echoed its movement with her own, for a few seconds her head cleared of all thoughts and feelings about anything other than this kiss but then she remembered where she was, who she was with and why he was doing this. Abruptly she pulled her head out of his hands and stepped away from him, as she looked at him his eyes were still closed and his hands were still cupped in the same place around nothing but air and it seemed to take him a fraction of a second longer to realise that she had pulled away, he opened his eyes in shock and looked at the pretty dark haired girl in front of him, she had a tear stained face and looked vulnerable but beautiful. "I'm sorry, I have to...I should go," with that she grabbed her bag from the side of the chair where she had been sitting and ran from the room.

She turned left out of the door and sprinted to the large oak doors by the great hall ignoring the shouts of "Lily," which followed her down the corridor, when she reached the outside air the coldness of it caused her to run even faster across the centre of the courtyard and over the castle moat reaching the comfort of her temporary home in record time. She had begun to cry again during her scurry away from Raulph, though this time they were not tears for her poor house elf, Kreacher, they were tears for herself, tears of anger for allowing herself to get into a state where Raulph could take pity on her and kiss her to make her feel better. She bustled through the girl's common room where Lizzie was sat by the fire looking frantic with worry and tore up the stairs to her dormitory which was empty. Dropping her schoolbag on the dressing table she jumped onto her bed and pulled the curtains closed around it, she didn't light the candle or allow any light at all into the pod she just laid staring up at the ceiling her mind whirring with a multitude of images and her heart feeling a mixture of sadness, anger and guilt.

She heard Lizzie talking to someone downstairs a few minutes later and hoped that she would be distracted enough to not disturb her but a moment later she heard the dormitory door open softly and her friend called, "Lily are you alright? Raulph is downstairs he asked if he could see you."

"No," she said quietly through the curtains.

"But he really wa-"

"I said no," she shouted vehemently and Lily heard the door close again followed by Lizzie's soft footsteps echoing on the metal spiral staircase, she heard her voice below once more as she told Raulph that Lily wouldn't see him and then she turned on her side waiting for the inevitable moment when her friend would return to ask her what was going on.

She didn't have to wait long, the door opened and closed almost silently and Lizzie tentatively pulled back the curtains of the pod above her own, "Lily...what's the matter?"

Without turning to face her friend she just shrugged her shoulders and said, "Nothing."

"Lil, come on, talk to me, I know there's something wrong, please."

Slowly she turned her body over and looked at her friend with a tear stained face, "Kreacher died," she said in an empty voice.

"Oh," Lizzie said and lifted a hand to comfort her, "I'm sorry." She seemed to accept this as reason enough for not wanting to speak to Raulph who probably looked like he had just turned up at the train for a friendly word. "I'll...I'll leave you alone if...if you want me to?"

"Please," Lily choked as fresh tears began to fall over her cheeks, "Thank you, I'll be alright, I just need some time on my own," she tried to smile at her companion who returned it and rubbed her shoulder to show that she cared before closing the curtains on the pod again and leaving the room.

"I'll be downstairs if you need me," she added and the door closed softly behind her. Lily turned back to face the wall and let the tears fall from her eyelids once more, for a few moments she had actually forgotten that she was upset about Kreacher, she kept playing the moment that Raulph had kissed her over and over again, how stupid and vulnerable must she have looked? Staring up at him like a child who needed comforting and how had he chosen to do that? By kissing her when he was obviously just trying to make her feel better, at any other time and for another reason she would have gladly accepted and welcomed a kiss from the muscular and Nordic looking man, but he had done it because she was upset and unhappy, he had pitied her and wanted to make her feel happier for a while. Suddenly she hated him, she hated him for doing that, for pitying her and then for trying to make her feel happier with a meaningless kiss, why would he do that? Because he was Krum, he was charming and friendly and didn't like people to be unhappy, but who did he think he was not letting her wallow in grief for a while? Kreacher had been there all her life and now he was gone, she deserved to cry and sob and be unhappy for a while, he deserved her grief over him but now it was mingled with this, this feeling that Raulph had given her.

She thumped the wall next to her bed in anger and bit back a gasp as a shooting pain travelled along the back of her knuckles and down her hands, sobbing once more she let all her thoughts and feelings cloud into her brain until she cried herself to sleep.

It was still dark when she woke up, opening the curtains of her pod she found no candles lit in the dormitory and the soft breathing noises coming from the other beds told her that her room mates were sleeping, she looked at the pod beneath her own but found the curtains open and the bed empty, Lizzie was still not there. She pulled back the curtains at the window but it was still pitch black outside, she had no idea what time it was but a rumbling in her stomach told her that it was well past dinner time. She sighed as she remembered the events of the day and realised that she had not actually eaten since lunchtime so she decided to head for the kitchen cart and see if she could muster up a small sandwich.

Opening the door softly she left the room and crept down the stairs, there were still a few candles burning in the common room and the fire was blazing away in the grate, Lily gazed across at it and noticed a lock of blonde hair draped over a chair arm next to it so she stepped closer. Snoozing away quietly in the chair was Lizzie, her body curled up in a ball and her hair hanging across her face, as she breathed in and out she sucked some of it towards her and then she would hit her nose as it tickled her face. Lily chuckled at her and then touched her arm gently while whispering, "Lizzie," softly in her ear.

She began to stir and moaned groggily, "Mmmm?"

"Lizzie, wake up," she whispered again and slowly her eye lids fluttered open she stared at her for a moment not quite realising who she was.

"Where am I?" the sleepy girl asked.

"You're in the common room you must have dozed off by the fire!"

"What?" she asked sitting up and rubbing her eyes like a child, "Oh, I was...I was waiting for you. Are you alright?" Lily felt her heart warm when she realised what her friend had done and she suddenly felt bad for being so short with her, if she had not had the altercation with Raulph she would have sat with Lizzie and opened up but he had pushed everything aside and she had been desperate to just be alone.

"I'm sorry," she replied looking guiltily at her friend, "I shouldn't have been so abrupt, I was just..." she drifted off not quite sure what she just was.

"That's alright, you were upset. Are you feeling any better?"

"A bit, but I'm hungry," she replied, "I didn't get any dinner."

"Come on then," Lizzie said jumping to her feet quite animatedly for someone who had only just woken up, "let's get you something to eat, by the way what time is it?" she added as she grabbed Lily's hand and began to drag her towards the door which led to the co-ed common room.

"Erm..." Lily looked at the clock over the mantle having no idea what time it actually was, "three o clock!" she shrieked.

They hurried through the second common room and into the dining car, sprinting two at a time up the spiral staircase they reached the top and flung open the steel doorway which housed the kitchen, when they saw what was behind it their jaws dropped.

The kitchen was magically enlarged to be at least seven or eight times bigger than the length and width of the train carriage, it was light and airy and three of the walls were covered with stainless steel cupboards and work surfaces. There were rack upon rack of utensils fastened to the walls and in the centre of the opposite wall stood an enormous stone fireplace which took up almost the whole length. Bustling around were a skeleton crew of house elves who appeared to be cleaning and tidying, having been brought up around the founder and current head of SPEW Lily was well aware of elvish rights and the old ways before she was even a twinkle in her father's eye, she assumed these were the night elves on duty for anyone who needed them. Sure enough as soon as they were spotted a handful of elves came rushing over to stand in front of the girls, "Good night Miss and Miss," they began turning to bow at both of them in turn.

"Please, do not bow," Lily said to them, she could tell they were like Kreacher, elves from the old days who were reluctant to let go of their past and heritage and accept the new freedoms they were allowed.

"Of course, Miss," they added in unison and then stood in front of them both looking up with enormous bulbous eyes, for a second Lily's eyes glazed over as they reminded her of Kreacher but she shook the tears away and asked softly, "Please may I have a sandwich or something?"

"Of course Miss."

"It would be our pleasure Miss."

"What would you care for Miss?"

"What? Oh...anything." They all looked at her awaiting more instruction so she added, "Er...cheese?" They all ran off immediately to various areas of the kitchen and began to busy themselves making a sandwich. Lizzie watched on in amazement, she was a muggle born witch and had never really seen one at work before so she found it quite amusing to watch them all going at it hell for leather just to make Lily a simple sandwich.

"There you go, Miss," one of them said as he handed the dark haired girl a plate with a doorstep sized cheese sandwich on it.

"Thank you," she said smiling and then they all bowed to her once more before going back to their cleaning. "Comeon let's go back to the common room," she continued turning to her friend and together they left the kitchen and walked quickly back to the girl's common room where the fire was still burning giving the room a homely and comfortable feel. They sat down in two chairs by the fire and Lily wolfed down the delicious cheese sandwich as if she had not eaten in a month.

"Why didn't you come to dinner?" Lizzie asked, "I waited for you here and then thought maybe you'd gone by yourself so I went to the hall but I couldn't see you."

"I went to send that letter to Mel and Stephanie after our last class and I was in he owlery when I got the letter from Mum, I took it to the courtyard to read it and then..." she stopped not wanting to tell her about the incident with Raulph. "Well, when I'd read it I just wanted to be on my own for a while so I...I went for a walk and then used one of the Durmstrang common rooms to be on my own." Lizzie seemed satisfied by her explanation so Lily did not elaborate anymore.

"Raulph seemed keen to see you," she said and Lily cursed as her stomach flipped a little at the mention of his name, "did he know about Kreacher? He looked like he was upset or agitated about something."

"He...well maybe Fleur had written to him, you know to wish him well in the tournament, she might have mentioned it." It seemed rather far fetched but again Lizzie seemed to accept it as an explanation.

"She might have done it so he would come and comfort you or something, I mean seeing as he knows you. He looked upset that you wouldn't see him but he didn't try to push himself in or anything, it was nice of him to call though if it was because of Kreacher." Lily couldn't agree with her friend but kept the thought to herself, she knew he had only come to try and apologise for what he had done, to try and make himself feel better because she had seen through his pity, well he could wait, she wasn't going to forgive him easily, he had made a fool of her and she would remember it for a long time.

The girls both yawned simultaneously and decided they should go up to bed it was the first task in the morning and they would have a long day as it was being followed up by a large feast. They made their way wearily up the stairs and climbed into bed falling to sleep almost as soon as their heads hit the pillows.

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Not too far away a tall sandy haired boy was tossing and turning in a darkened dormitory on the top floor of the west tower in the Durmstrang Academy, he knew he should be trying to get a good night's sleep ahead of the daunting task which faced him in the morning but he couldn't get the image of a sweet, dark haired and brown eyed girl out of his mind. He had known Lily Potter almost all of his life, not particularly well but he had known who she was and spent occasional days with her when visiting his family mother's family in England but he had never looked at her in the same way before. Having only seen her sporadically throughout his life he had noticed that she had turned into a pretty young girl and had felt sorry for her brothers, Albus, James and Vernon, as they would no doubt have a wealth of men trying to chase her that would never be good enough in their eyes, but he had never thought of her as a beautiful woman whom he might like to chase in such a way before.

When she had turned up at the school he had remembered that she was a nice girl who he could get along with and had enjoyed partnering her in the last few weeks during their care of magical creatures lessons, he had also enjoyed spending time with her after the lessons as she was an intelligent girl who was easy to be with. She was different to their cousin, Dominique, who was easy to wind up and fun to watch when she had gotten to that stage, Lily was smart and fun and when he had seen her in the courtyard looking upset he had longed to comfort her as the friend that he was to her.

However when he had looked into her huge, grief filled eyes he had seen something else, something that he had not noticed before, he had seen just how beautiful and deep they were and he had suddenly had an overwhelming urge to drown in them. Therefore he had acted on impulse and kissed her, he had not thought about it or tried to rationalise it he had just leaned forwards and kissed her and felt a jolt of electricity flow through his body as their lips met. For a moment he had been certain that she had wanted to kiss him back and she had allowed the kiss to deepen for a few seconds before pulling herself away, by the time he had opened his eyes she had left the room and it had taken him a second or two to come to his senses and realise what he had done.

He had taken advantage of a vulnerable young girl who had needed some comfort but had obviously not felt the same way about him as he had suddenly felt about her. By the time he had reached the doorway she was halfway down the corridor and whether she heard his shouts he did not know as she had refused to look back, following her to the Hogwarts Express he had hoped to apologise and explain himself to her. He wasn't sure exactly how he would explain, 'I'm sorry Lily but I am suddenly deeply attracted to you but you obviously don't feel the same way about me so I don't want to ruin our friendship so please forget the fact that I kissed you when you were upset and vulnerable like a complete miscreant and let's just go back to how we were even though I don't think I will ever be able to look at you in the same way again, ok?' How pathetic, he thought to himself as he rolled his head into his pillow.

He had not been at all surprised when her friend had returned to the carriage doorway and told him that Lily would not speak to him, the girl had looked at him apologetically but had obviously had no idea about what had just happened. He didn't want to push himself on her so he had left calmly and returned to his dormitory where he had spent the rest of the evening going over and over the situation again and realising each time he thought about the kiss just how much he wanted to do it again. He had definitely felt something even though she hadn't, for the second in which she had responded to him he had felt happy and satisfied in a way that no other kiss had ever done, it had seemed like the most natural and wonderful thing and he was feeling almost heartbroken knowing that it was not going to happen again.

Raulph had never thought of himself as the lovesick puppy type, his mother and father had showered love in him but had never been openly affectionate to each other and he knew that there had been more of a respect between them that love so he had never really been subjected to the love between a man and a woman except for when he visited England and stayed with Fleur and Bill. Every Weasley he had met showered their wife or husband with love and that was where he had found a new appreciation for it, one which had suddenly been brought to the surface by a Weasley-Potter herself.

He tossed and turned for another hour or so before finally succumbing to sleep and when he got up shortly after sunrise he felt tired and restless, deciding to have a quick workout before breakfast he pulled on some running clothes and shoes and set off for a jog around the castle walls. Once over the drawbridge he set off at a steady pace which slowly increased as he reached each corner of the fortress. As he passed the scarlet red steam engine parked next to the Beauxbaton's crystal carriage with its train compartments in tow he once more thought wistfully of the dark haired beauty probably sleeping soundly in there somewhere hating him for what he had foisted upon her the previous day. He shook his head to clear it, he had the task to face first but he was adamant that once he had completed it he would seek out Lily Potter and explain himself somehow. He would blame it on the moment, say he had not meant to do it but she had looked so unhappy and he had not known what had come over him, he would beg her forgiveness and plead with her that it was a momentary thing which would not happen again. No matter how hard he now thought it might be to only be Lily's friend, he knew he would rather have that than have her hating him for doing something so foolish and avoiding him at all costs.

After his third lap around the castle he had played the conversation over and over again in his head each time with various outcomes, his favourite had been the one where she had confessed her undying love for him and said she had realised at the 

exact moment she had turned him away that she wanted to kiss him back and in the scenario he had then taken her in his arms and dropped her back on one of them giving her a passionate and forceful kiss which she had accepted. Of course there were others where she had slapped his face and refused to ever speak to him again and by the time he had reached the door to the west tower on the inside of the fortress he was hoping she would just say she accepted his apology and that things would go back to the way they had been before he was so stupid.

By the time he left the dormitory the second time he was surrounded by supporters from all the years at school and he barely had time to think about Lily as he was whisked away to breakfast and then to meet reporters and finally to a chamber beyond the castle walls where the three champions were to await further instruction before the task began.

**sorry if that left you frustrated but hey what's a story without a bit of angst?? please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry it's been a while since I last updated, I usually like to have the story finished before I even start to publish on here but have had a lot going on personally and got a bit way laid with this one! I'm back on track now and just have to find time for beta checking before uploading! Hope you enjoy this chapter oh and please review!**

Lily woke quite early on the morning of the first task, she could hear the other girls breathing heavily and knew they were still asleep so she tried for a while to force herself back into slumber but after half an hour of listening to them breathing and replaying the incident with Raulph over again in her head fourteen times she decided to get out of bed and take her books to the library. She had not started any of her homework the previous evening and decided to get a head start on it today as most of it would be taken up with triwizard events. Pulling on some comfortable clothes she picked up her bag and headed out of the dormitory closing the door softly behind her so she would not disturb the others. She glanced at the clock in the common room as she passed and saw that it was only seven thirty, it was still dark outside and only feint candle light showed her the way to the second common room below the library. She climbed the spiral stairs and took a seat at the end of the room, pulling out her books she started an essay on human transfiguration and lost herself in a world of words until she was disturbed two hours later by Professor Longbottom coming out of his small apartment above and down the stairs to the library floor.

"Lily," he said when he spotted her working in the corner.

"Good morning Professor Longbottom," she replied nodding curtly at him and then returning to her work. Instead of heading down to the bottom floor however the professor walked the length of the library and took a seat beside her, Neville as she knew him at home, was a friend of her parents, they had been at school together and she was named after his wife Luna who had helped to deliver both her and her brother Albus. She knew him quite well and was friends with both of his children, the oldest of which was currently living with her eldest brother, James, so she had been happy to know that he was accompanying them on the trip to Durmstrang as she admired and respected him as both a friend and a teacher.

"Lily," he began and she put down her quill so she could look at him, she knew what was coming, "your father wrote to me and told me about Kreacher," Lily looked down at her hands and waited, "if you feel you need a few days to come to terms with it we can organise for you to miss your classes."

"Thank you Professor, I am very grateful but I will be fine, I am upset but I do not feel it necessary for me to take any time off school, he had a long life and he would not want me to miss out on my education." She smiled at him and he marvelled at her grown up attitude, she was so much like her mother and he was always reminded of her in her Hogwarts days when he saw Lily around the school. She had her mother's intelligence and wilfulness combined with her father's nobility and strive, but she definitely had her mother's tendencies when it came to education as he was sure Harry would have jumped at the chance to have a few days leave from his lessons and he respected this about her.

"As you wish Lily," he smiled, "but if there is anything you need remember where I am."

"Thank you Professor Longbottom," she returned as she picked her quill back up and he rose from the chair beside her, he patted her comfortingly on the shoulder before making his way back along the aisle between the bookshelves to the stairs leaving the young girl to her studies.

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Three hours later Lizzie and Lily made their way to the enormous stands which had been erected to the south side of the castle, they were steel and grey and reached up over fifty feet, flights of steep metal steps climbed to the top of the stands which had ten rows of tiered seating. There were four stands in total all facing southwards away from the fortress and overlooking a mountain side which had various caves dotted along it, the mountain climbed higher than the plateau on which the school was sat and the top of it disappeared into a cold mist which often covered the school grounds during these winter months. The two girls climbed the sets of steps behind the hundreds of other students eager to watch the first task in the triwizard tournament, everyone was cloaked in thick clothes, hats and scarves and like many of the students there Lily and Lizzie had both performed the insulatum charm and were feeling cosy and warm as they took their places on the cold, steel, springy seats. Looking out at the mountainside in front of them they could see that there were different ledges at various points up it but they were few and far between, to get to each ledge a person would have to climb over rugged rocks and jump from left to right all the way.

"I suppose they have to climb up it somehow," Lizzie suggested and looked at her friend.

"Probably," she replied, "I don't envy them if they do!"

"Are we getting the banner out then?" Lizzie asked shyly and from inside her cloak Lily pulled a large banner which they had spent an hour making, the other supporters from the Hogwart's train had helped them to make the large standard which had the school badge in each of the four corners and the name Terry Dreary across the middle in shiny red writing, underneath the name it said 'win win win' and had two fireworks which shot across from each side and crossed over the name on a loop. As they watched Professor Nitschmann stand on a large podium part way up the mountain side they began to wave it as the crowd cheered and then the severe looking wizard raised his hands and everyone fell silent.

"Welcome students and teachers," he started, "to the first task of this year's triwizard tournament here at the Durmstrang Institute, our champions are all inside this tent," he indicated a canvas structure to the left of the four stands which was green and gold, "they have been given instructions for their first task and will attempt it in the order they were chosen from the goblet. Their aim is to climb to the top of this mountain where they will each find a large rock, the rock is a clue to the next task which takes place in February, however the climb to the top will be perilous and not only because of the steep and jagged rocks which have few footholds and ledges, but also because hidden in the three large caves are three angry and confused ogres." The crowd gasped but did not start discussing the situation as the headmaster continued to speak after pausing only momentarily for the gasping audience, "The contestants do not know which ogre will be released as they begin to climb the mountain and they must use their talents to evade the creature and reach the peak." The crowd cheered as he stopped talking and then settled once more as he raised his arms in the air, "Please show your support for our first champion, representing Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry, Terry Dreary," the air was rent with cheers, screams and claps as the audience showed their support, Lily and Lizzie began to wave their banner and some of the other Hogwart's students who were sitting around them grabbed hold as they screamed his name and began to chant 'Terry to win, Terry to win.'

Terry took a bow and waved to his fans before turning to face the mountainside ahead of him, he looked up at it trying to judge the best way to climb, everyone could see that there was no way to avoid any of the three caves and they could tell that Terry was trying to think of a way to deal with the ogre that he would inevitably have to face in the next few minutes. He turned to wave at the crowd once more before gritting his teeth and then walking purposefully towards the rock face, he was dressed in tight fitting trousers and boots with a thin looking rugby style shirt over the top which bore the Hogwart's crest on the back, he lifted himself into a foothold and began his assent, as he began his climb the crowd cheered again and a band started to play, flags and banners were waved by everyone as they watched him climb higher and higher pulling himself up with strong arms to the next available foothold constantly scooting from left to right to find the best way possible. The crowd held their breath as he approached the ledge with the first cave on, he dragged himself over the edge and jumped swiftly to his feet with his wand outstretched in his wand arm and faced the cave entrance, after a few moments however nothing had happened and the crowd released their breaths as he continued to climb upwards.

When Terry approached the second of the three caves the crowds once more held their breath as he repeated his earlier move, and after a few tension filled seconds a loud, heavy grunt resounded from the inside of the cave and many spectators let out high pitched screams, Terry did not hear any of them as his attention was taken when a heavy, dark green foot emerged from the cave and stomped in front of him, it was followed seconds later by the rest of the ogre which towered above him a good three or more times his own height. Lily gasped and clapped her hand to her mouth as Terry began to move left and right in an attempt to circle the beast. The gigantic monster stared down at the boy with a dopey look on its face, his eyes leered and his mouth hung open dribbling spit from one corner which was falling unheeded onto its grubby fat arm, many of the crowd recoiled at the sight and a few even turned their headsrefusing to watch such a hideous beast. Terry sent a stupefy spell directly at its stomach but it bounced off its thick skin without even leaving a mark, he then aimed a reducto curse at the ground in front of the ogre, the rocks by its feet immediately blew up in its face and the dumb creature covered his eyes with his arms for a moment before beginning to flail them around in confusion. It was groaning and though the spell managed to blindsight it for a minute it did not give Terry a chance to get past it and to the other end of the ledge where he would need to be in order to continue climbing. He darted to the left and then the right but the creature, who had now realised that the tiny human in front of him had caused the sudden pain in his face, began to follow him from left to right.

Terry suddenly aimed his wand at the beast's legs and shouted '_incarcerus_', ropes flew wildly from the end of his wand and wrapped themselves around the ogre's legs, then Terry began to run from left to right as quickly as he could darting swiftly through the monsters legs, all the time sending more ropes to join the ones already twisting and tangling around his tree trunk sized calves. The crowd could see the monster becoming confused and dizzy but it would not give up its relentless chase of the small form which had caused him pain. Terry continued to duck and dive around and under it until eventually, out of dizziness, exhaustion and confusion, the ogre tripped itself up on its bindings and landed with a resounding slam on the rock ledge in front of the cave. Its head caught the edge of the cave wall and it groaned and rolled over before passing out cold and giving Terry the opportunity he needed to scoot past it and continue climbing to his goal.

The crowd continued to cheer Terry on as he scaled the remaining portion of the rockface whilst a group of wizards apparated to the cave entrance where the ogre was and bound it safely before transporting it by magical means back into the grotto from where it had appeared. The mist at the top of the peak had disappeared and the avid crowd could now see clearly as Terry reached the top and picked up a large rock which he held high in the air like a trophy while the crowd went wild with catcalls and wolf whistles. Everyone began clapping and cheering and waving their banners and flags and as this was all going on Professor Nitschmann approached the podium once more and waited for the crowd to fall silent, when this had happened the headmaster announced to the avid throng that Terry had completed the task in only twenty five minutes. After one more cheer Terry jumped onto a waiting broomstick and descended back down the mountain to shake hands with the Professors at the bottom before being taken to a second tent at the opposite end of the stands to the one he had emerged from earlier.

The crowd were given ten minutes before the headmaster once more stood at the podium and waited for silence prior to announcing the second champion, "Representing Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, Miss Genevieve Laroche," he gestured to the tent and the tall, thin, blonde haired girl glided gracefully through the open doorway and walked to the front of the crowd. She was dressed in pale blue fleecy ski pants and wore a hooded jumper made from the same material, her hair was pulled back into a ponytail making her appear much sportier than she had done at the champion's feast. She bowed her head slightly at the crowd and seemed to soak up the attention she was receiving from them, eying them all demurely she smiled before turning to face her task and beginning the climb. Again a band played for a while and the crowds waved their banners and cheered her on until she reached the first cave entrance, taking a similar stance to the one Terry had held she waited for a few seconds until nothing had happened and then set off to the right of the cave entrance to the second ledge. As she reached it she took the same position but the crowd did not hold their breath this time as they knew the ogre would appear from the third cave and after another few seconds of waiting Genevieve continued up to the final cave.

She knew what was going to happen this time and was ready when the beast appeared in a similar way to the one which Terry had fought, however Genevieve was a much more graceful combatant than Terry and instead of trying to stun or confuse it she attempted to mesmerise the creature by waving her wand delicately in front of it and trying to gaze into its eyes. The stupid creature began to follow the movement of her wand with its head as she slowly traced a figure of eight in the air over and over again, she began to chant something which no one could hear but everyone could see the monster's eyes begin to droop ever so slowly. She patiently continued her movements and chant for another three or four minutes, never taking her eyes from his and never slowing down or speeding up her wand movement or chant. Eventually the crowd watched in awe as the ogre slumped to his knees and then laid itself down on the floor like a worn out hound and closed its eyes, everyone gasped as a snoring sound emanated from its mouth and Genevieve dropped a quick bow at her audience before sprinting to the opposite end of the ledge and continuing her climb. She too reached the top and held a second rock aloft like a trophy before alighting another waiting broomstick and coming back down to the ground as Nitschmann announced that she had completed the task in just twenty three minutes. The spectators went mad and began to stamp their feet in admiration as they applauded the young girl who had managed to hypnotise a twenty foot ogre into sleep in barely five minutes.

Another ten minutes passed and then the Durmstrang headmaster approached the podium and announced his own school's representative, "Raulph Krum." The crowd had gone crazy at the name of each champion but they were absolutely delirious when it came to the announcement of their own champion, as most of the audience was made up of Durmstrang students it was obvious their contestant would be given the loudest welcome. Lily turned away for a moment as he left the tent, she was still feeling angry with him and was not sure what she would feel when she actually set her eyes on him, but Lizzie didn't notice as she was cheering him on with the rest of the crowd and by the time Lily turned back he was already climbing up the mountain and had almost reached the first cave.

The audience waited with baited breath as he climbed onto the ledge certain in the knowledge that the ogre would appear when he had scrambled on to it as the other two caves had already produced theirs and so there was stunned silence across all of the stands when after a few seconds of standing with his wand ahead of him nothing emerged to attack Raulph. Everyone started muttering and whispering to each other as he continued his climb, surely the headmaster had meant that there was an ogre in each cave, did this mean that Krum's had not come out? Had they made a mistake and only put in two ogres? Raulph had not noticed the kafuffle as he was too busy scaling the rockface and by the time everyone had calmed down enough to continue watching him he was already poised at the entrance to the second cave with his wand arm outstretched and his feet firmly placed at angles to each other. When no ogre appeared from this cave either the twittering confusion around the stands began again as Krum once more skirted the entrance to the cave and began to haul himself up the remainder of the mountain to the final grotto. Lily was now watching avidly, she had not seen his face yet and had somehow managed to disassociate the boy climbing the perilous mountain from the pitying fool who had tried to kiss her the previous night, she was merely interested in whether or not the ogre would appear in the third cave and if it did, what methods would he use to get past it.

As he clambered over the ledge to the final cave Raulph jumped back into his fighting stance, many people were still discussing the fact that the creature had not emerged from the first cave and so were startled into a scream when a loud roar echoed from the inside of the cave and the same grubby green ogre which Terry had fought stumbled out into the daylight. The beast was angry and for a moment a look of fear seemed to wash over Raulph's face but it was noticed only by a few people who were staring at him, the rest of the audience could not take their eyes from the menacing ogre which was now edging its way to the champion who had disturbed it for a second time.

The Durmstrang contender tried to stun the creature as Terry had but to no avail, he then attempted incarcerous but the monster was wary after being tricked by that method less than an hour before and it began to circle around Krum who was looking wildly around and sending stunning curses at its chest, all of which bounced straight back off it. He ran in all directions and then attempted to confuse it by flicking loose stones into different corners of the ledge causing it to turn its head and investigate the sound. After a few minutes it began to stagger a little and Krum took the opportunity to cast a non verbal spell at a large rock which flew into the air and began to hover over the ogre's head, it looked baffled as it watched the rock glide into the air and then seemingly disappear as he could not see it floating inches from its bald crown, with a flick of his wand Krum let the rock fall and it clattered onto the monster's head on the opposite side to where it had caught it when Terry had caused the beast to fall. Everyone in the stands held their breath again as the ogre turned to look first at them and then at his attacker before falling in a heap to the ground, he was heading for Raulph who tried to leap quickly out of the way but it was too late, as the monster hit the floor one of its huge fleshy arms collided with Krum who was sent crashing to the ground beneath its weight. Lily squealed and Lizzie turned to look at her as her fingers flew to her mouth, the dark haired girl watched through tear filled eyes as Raulph's body lay still and silent beneath the enormous limb, teachers on the ground were shouting and ordering others around when suddenly Lizzie gasped, "Look," and pointed with one finger at the ledge.

Everyone fell silent as they watched the arm being slowly and painstakingly lifted into the air and they saw a bloody, but still living, figure climb out from under it, Lily heaved a sigh of relief as she saw Raulph limp steadily to the edge of the ledge where he could begin the last section of the climb. The spectators could all see that he was in pain and it seemed to take an eternity for him to scramble onto the top ledge on his hands and knees and grab hold of the remaining rock, the crowd cheered as Lily watched him slump over onto his side and then disappear amidst a sea of teachers and healers who were on the scene ready to treat any injuries.

Lily sagged against her friend, "He'll be fine, look they're taking him to the hospital wing, he'll be sorted out and as good as new before you know it. Maybe if you go along they might let you see him later, you are his friend after all." The emotion struck girl nodded her head and turned back to watch what was going on at the top of the mountain, she could see Raulph being lifted into a stretcher and floated away behind a healer in dark blue robes. She had now completely forgotten about the incident the night before as she realised how worried she was about him, what did it matter if her had tried to kiss her just to make her feel a bit better? At least he had done it because he obviously cared about her. She should have let him talk to her when he'd followed her to the train at least then it would all be out in the open and they could get things back to normal. Lily Potter decided there and then that she would go and visit Raulph in the hospital later that night if she could and tell him that it was all forgotten about in the hopes that they could remain good friends.

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The Durmstrang hospital wing was completely different to the one at Hogwarts, it was on the underground floor below the common rooms and was much darker than theirs. It had only thin slits for windows which were only on one side as the other wall of the storey backed into solid earth beneath the courtyard. The beds were all in separate single rooms which had solid oak doors, as the windows were all in the rooms this meant that the corridor which all the rooms led off was dark aside from the light cast by burning torches hanging along the walls at intervals.

It was almost six o clock, there was another feast to celebrate the first task and it was due to begin at seven, Lily had decided to try and visit Raulph before attending the feast and was now waiting in a small office for the head healer to talk to her. A stern looking woman with iron rimmed spectacles bustled from a door to her left and barked, "What do you want?"

"I was hoping to visit...Raulph Krum," she muttered feeling the woman's gaze burning into her, she seemed annoyed somehow that someone had dared to try and visit a patient.

"His father is with him, come back later he will not want the likes of a girlfriend crowding round his son." Lily immediately blushed to the roots of her hair, a Weasley trait she that hated with a passion.

"Oh...no...no...I'm...I'm not his g...g-"

"I'm not really bothered whether you are or not, come back later," she waved Lily away with her hand and then turned to go back through the doorway she had appeared from.

Lily was about to leave, defeated, when she heard a familiar voice behind her, "Li-ly," it said slowly and she turned to see Victor Krum standing before her, "You have come to visit Raulph?"

"Yes...I thought he... well..." she wasn't sure how to finish the sentence.

"Mr Krum," said the healer's voice as she re-entered the room still sounding annoyed that her patients were being disturbed, "I was just telling this...young lady," she turned to look disdainfully at Lily, "that you would not want your son bothered by some girl who no doubt wants to fawn all over him in his sick bed."

"Thank you, Frau Bordetstein but Lily Potter is not...some girl," he replied, "she is a friend of the family and I am sure that Raulph would be very pleased to see her. Please Lily, come with me." He held out his arm for her and she took it willingly glancing once more to see the horrified look which was now on the healer's face, Victor began to lead her along the dark corridor to a small room at the far end, he continued to chat to her as he did so, "She's a nasty old crow that one, she was head healer when I was at school here and she hasn't changed at all. I could hear you saying that you wanted to visit Raulph and heard the woman say no visitors while I was there and I thought how mean, if someone wants to visit my son then they can. I was most surprised to see that it was you my dear, I had not realised that you were attending school with the champions."

"Oh," was all she could say in return.

"Raulph," he called as he peered around the door, "I have a pretty young visitor here for you, that nasty old crone wasn't going to let her in but I managed!" He opened the door fully and allowed Lily to enter, her stomach did a flip when she saw him laid in the bed propped up by pillows. His eye was swollen and severely bruised and it looked as if his nose had been broken, there were traces of dried blood around it which showed it had definitely been bleeding and it looked a little bent out of shape. He had one leg strapped up in a splint and bandaged and the opposite arm was also bandaged from the shoulder to the wrist however when he saw Lily enter the room he still managed a small smile. "It looks worse than it actually is," Victor began when he noticed the look of shock on the girl's face, "and she may be an old battleaxe but she's a good healer, she mended me many times while I was at school here!" he chuckled and then continued, "well I shall go and find myself some kind of drink I think, let you two catch up, Lily if I don't see you again, goodbye."

"Goodbye Victor...and thank you," she replied nodding curtly.

"My pleasure, after all I'm sure Raulph will enjoy such beautiful company and it can only speed up his recovery!" He lifted her hand in his own then and kissed it before walking out of the room and leaving the two teenagers alone.

"I didn't think you would want to see me after what..." Raulph drifted off and did not look directly at Lily.

"I...I'm sorry I wouldn't let you in and...and for running off, I know you were only trying to cheer me up...in a strange way, I just didn't...don't..."

"No, Lily I'm sorry I shouldn't have kissed you, it was wrong, it was a one moment thing, you were upset and I wanted to comfort you and it just felt like...I'm not sure but..."

"Shall we just forget it?" Lily suggested desperate to get away from the conversation where Raulph confirmed that he had no feelings for her whatsoever other than the pity he had felt for her last night.

"Yes, thank you," he replied realising that she had only thought it a momentary pity thing and that she would not realise he had suddenly developed strong feelings for the young girl who had made his heart skip a beat a few moments before when she had entered his room.

"And we can go back to how things were?" she added hoping that he would not see that she liked to be friends with him because she wanted to be close to him even if it was only in a platonic way.

"Yes," he said knowing that the last thing he wanted was to lose this stunning young girl from his life even if she was only ever going to be his friend.

"Then that's settled, let's just forget that the whole thing ever happened shall we?"

"Aha," he nodded knowing that in his heart and in his dreams he would never forget the moment when their lips had touched and he had felt anelectricity that he had never felt before with any other girl. He had kissed other girls, schoolgirls from Durmstrang and a few friends from home, and he had always enjoyed the kisses but he had never felt that flip in the bottom of his stomach before nor the rush which had coursed through his body when she had responded to his kiss for a mere second. But he knew this was how it had to be and he just hoped that one day he would find another girl who would give him that rush and the flip when she was just near to him like Lily Potter did.

They spent half an hour talking about the task and Lily told him how the others had evaded the ogres and how they had all been confused when his ogre had not appeared in the first cave and then she had gone on to tell him that he had completed the task in twenty eight minutes but that they had awarded him joint second place with Terry as he had been down beneath the ogre's arm for a good few minutes.

At quarter to seven the severe looking healer popped her head around the door and scowled at Lily who decided she had better leave and let Raulph get some rest.

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"So how was he?" Lizzie asked with a wince.

"Battered and bruised!"

"Your face when he went down was a picture Lil, don't you dare try and tell me that you only want to be friends with him, I mean we were all shocked but you were well, absolutely horrified I was surprised you didn't go darting up the mountainside yourself to help him out."

"Shut up Lizzie, I was not that bad, I knew he'd be okay, he's a good wizard."

"Yeah, you knew it, but you were still scared!"

"Because he's a friend and I care about him."

"Yeah, whatever! So if it had been Terry who'd got squashed by a giant ogre you would have been just as scared and worried."

"Of course!" Lily squealed in an unconvincing high pitched voice.

"Lily, just admit it, to me, you like Raulph don't you?" She opened her mouth to argue but Lizzie continued, "Oh please come on Lily, you come back to the train on Wednesdays with a huge grin on your face and the spring in your step before your care of magical creatures lesson practically bounces you to the moon, it's so obvious!"

"Really?" Lily shrieked.

"No, but I got you!" Lizzie laughed as she sat back in her seat at the sixth year table.

"You sneak!" he friend replied taking on the Weasley redness once more, "That's not fair!"

"Oh come on Lily, I've known it ever since the first day we arrived here and he spoke to you, and plus he's gorgeous!"

"Is it really obvious though?" she said with a worried edge to her voice.

"Well, to me, yes and maybe to a few other girls who know the signs!"

"But what about Raulph?"

"Oh no, he won't know he's a man isn't he? You'll need to wear a sign saying 'I heart Raulph' for him to notice!" Lily visibly relaxed as her friend chuckled at her, "I don't get it though, why didn't you just tell me?"

"I don't know, I was a bit embarrassed I suppose, I've never really liked someone this much before, you know when your..." she paused and looked helplessly at her friend.

"Your stomach turns everytime he walks into a room, you babble like an idiot when you talk to him and you dream about what his lips might feel like if they ever touch yours?" Lily jumped when she said these words and her friend looked at her curiously, "Lily, have you...?" The redness on the dark haired girl's face returned immediately as Lizzie shrieked loudly causing a few heads at their table to turn and look at them. "You've kissed him haven't you?" she whispered quietly, "Oh Merlin, I knew you liked him, but when did this happen? What does it mean? Are you going out or what? Lily I can't believe you didn't tell me, wait...if this happened then what was all that about last night? Or did you just not want him to see you upset about Kreacher?" The bombardment of questions sent Lily reeling and she tried to calm the excited young girl quickly.

"Not here," she whispered under her breath glancing around the table at the eyes which had suddenly turned to stare at them both, "later." Her friend nodded at her before squeezing her arm excitedly and digging in to the sausage which had just appeared on their plates.

Throughout the entire feast and the entertainment which followed it Lizzie kept glancing slyly at her embarrassed friend and smiling sweetly at her so that by the time they were able to leave the hall and find themselves a quiet corner on the Hogwart's Express Lily was quite worried about the fact that she would have to dash Lizzie's excitement. They had set off from the great hall across the courtyard at breakneck speed with Lizzie dragging the reluctant girl behind her, "Hurry up, I want to hear all the details," she had screeched as they reached the girl's common room door and headed for two chairs by a window which were away from the others. "Now spill," she said looking eagerly at her friend, she was on the edge of the seat and obviously dying to hear everything.

"Lizzie please don't get excited about this it was nothing."

"But you did kiss him right?"

"Yes but-"

"What was it like?"

Wonderful for a moment, she wanted to say, comfortable and electrifying like she was on fire under his touch, like his kisses were cooling her and sending shivers down her spine until the realisation of why he had done it dawned on her and she had run from the room in floods of tears, "It was...a mistake."

"What do you mean a mistake? How can it have been a mistake? You like him and you kissed so he obviously likes you back, where's the mistake?"

"Lizzie, you don't understand, he didn't mean to kiss me."

"How can...?"

"It was yesterday, after I had opened the letter from Mum, he found me crying in the courtyard and took me into one of the smaller common rooms, he was being nice to me and trying to make me feel better, he hugged me because I was still crying and then when I pulled back to thank him he just kissed me."

Lizzie's mouth fell open in amazement, "And that was a mistake?" she asked showing that she did not understand at all.

"Yes."

"Why?" she went on with a bemused expression on her face.

"Because he was doing it to make me feel better, I was upset and he felt sorry for me."

"Oh come on Lily, he wouldn't have kissed you because he felt sorry for you, he must have done it because he liked you. You're wrong."

"No, I'm not."

"But..." she paused as if she was trying to piece things together in her head, "that's why he came down here to see you last night? Is that why you were so upset? Because he kissed you?" Lily nodded. "Lily," she added with a touch of sympathy, "What did you do when he kissed you?"

"I left."

"What?"

"I left," she shouted causing a few heads to turn in their direction, "he did it because he felt sorry for me, I couldn't stay there, I took my things and I ran back here."

"Lily," she said consolingly, "I think you're wrong."

"What do you mean?"

"When he turned up here he looked distraught, I thought it was strange but I didn't really think about it, he looked shaken about something, it was probably because you left like that, maybe he didn't do it because he felt sorry for you."

"Yes he did."

"How do you know, for sure Lily?"

"Because he told me tonight, it was a momentary thing brought on because I was upset and that's all so can we just leave it please?" Her voice rose angrily at the end of the sentence so Lizzie nodded her head in agreement though inside she was sure that her now miserable looking friend had got it all wrong.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 – Birthday Surprises

A few weeks after the first task Raulph was back on his feet and attending classes again, everything had gone back to normal between him and Lily for which they were both, unknown to the other, quite glad about because neither of them wanted to be without the other, even if only in a platonic way. The Christmas season had descended upon the Institute with hundreds of decorated trees lining the corridors, filling empty spaces in classrooms, the library and other areas along with an assortment dotted around the courtyard all of which were covered in snow which had been falling almost constantly since the beginning of December. Christmas carols haunted the hallways which the students joined in with as they moved from class to class and the house elves employed to clean and cook within the fortress all wore little Santa's elf like suits with bobble hats and scarves to match, even the elves on the Hogwart's Express had joined them. The teachers were in high spirits and had relaxed the homework load a little, though everyone knew it would probably double once the season was over. Everybody was excited about the Yule Ball which was due to take place on Christmas night and the older girls were dressing themselves some what provocatively in the hopes of winning a date before the big night.

Lizzie of course was going with Francis whom she had now been on a few dates with, well more walks around the castle, dates weren't really possible when you couldn't leave the school grounds at all. She had tried once or twice more to broach the subject of Lily going to the ball with Raulph but had been shot down in flames one evening when they were working in the train's library on a transfiguration assignment, a cough from behind them had signalled the arrival of someone else in the room and they had both turned around to see Terry's friend, David Clearwater, standing behind them both. Looking directly at Lily he opened his mouth and took a deep breath as if he had some ready prepared speech to begin, "L...Lily," he stuttered and she looked up at him with a confused expression, Lizzie rolled her eyes at her friend as it was plainly obvious to her what David wanted but Lily in her naive way had absolutely no idea.

The nervous, boy coughed again and then continued, "Sorry, Lily I was wondering if maybe you might like to...go to...the...erm the Yule ball with me?" He looked at her with extremely worry-filled eyes and Lizzie once more rolled her own as she realised that Lily had been taken completely by surprise when he had asked the question.

"Oh," Lily replied, "well erm yes...yes that would be lovely David."

The boy visibly relaxed and smiled shyly at his date, "Great...I mean thank you...er..." Lizzie was now trying to suppress a giggle as the two of them looked strangely at each other without speaking, "So I'll...er...I'll see you on...on the...the night then?"

"Yes, of course," Lily answered and then David turned on his heel and almost ran from the room, clearly relieved both to have got the ordeal of asking the pretty young girl to go with him over and done with and to have had her say yes. As soon as he had closed the door behind him Lizzie looked at her friend and let out the guffaw she had been holding, which was now hurting her. "What?" Lily asked seriously looking at the giggle ridden girl in surprise, "what's so funny?"

"You," she managed to gasp between laughs, "you are so naive sometimes, especially when it comes to boys!"

"Well," she replied looking hurt, "I'm not used to being asked out am I? My brothers are usually waiting in the wings for them and they pass over me to ask one of you lot out."

"Aww, poor inexperienced Potter!" she laughed as she fell about once more.

"Shut it Liz!" she responded hitting her friend firmly on the arm, "And anyway at least now you can shut up about Raulph asking me, I'm taken!" she said smiling.

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The following day Lily was woken by a strange singing, as she came round and rubbed her bleary eyes she realised that the singing was coming from the room and it sounded like her four room mates, slowly pulling back the curtain around her pod she saw four bright and cheery faces chorusing 'Happy Birthday to you,' and waving a few banners around.

"Happy seventeenth Lily Potter," they shrieked as the song ended and then a flourish of streamers flew from the ends of their wands and shot past her head landing on her bed where they bounced back into the air and came to rest across the wall on the inside of her pod.

"Thank you," she smiled back at them as they dragged her from the bed. They sat her at the dressing table where two piles of presents sat waiting for her to open them, "Oh," she said as she noticed them.

"These came by owl," Lizzie said pointing to the larger pile, "and these are from us," she added pointing to the smaller one.

"Thank you," she reiterated as she slowly began to unwrap them one by one. There was a gold locket from her parents, the customary coming of age gift for a witch, and her brothers had sent a matching gold bracelet while her Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione sent her a matching set of earrings. To complete the set her grandparents had sent a gold ring and Lily was almost beside herself at having so much gold jewellery all at once. The locket had a single diamond at the top of the front case above a swirly carved letter L, she opened it to see a picture of her parents in one side, the other had been left blank for her own photograph and for a second Lily thought wistfully of who she would like to be able to place in that side. The bracelet had a single diamond in it too as did the ring and the earrings were single bars of gold with a diamond at the end of each one.

There was a box of joke products from her Uncle George and his family and various other items from the multitude of Weasleys including a silver plated quill from Percy and Audrey, a bottle of expensive perfume from Charlie and a silk printed dressing gown from Fleur and Bill. She donned the jewellery and sprayed herself in the musky smelling perfume before turning to the pile from her friends, the other three girls from her dormitory had put together to buy her a pretty gilded picture frame which she thanked them for before picking up the last parcel in her hand.

"It's from Mel and Steph too," Lizzie said looking at her excitedly. She began to unwrap the silver bow tied around the box and then carefully peeled back the pink shiny paper to reveal a box, she took the lid off and gasped, there sat on top of soft, royal blue fabric was a pair of diamante studded, strappy silver sandals, they had a four inch stiletto heel which was also silver and had a row of diamantes down the back.

"Oh Merlin," she squealed and then flung her arms around the smiling girl, "they are beautiful, thank you!"

"Glad you like them," she said returning the hug, "try them on!"

The giggling girls watched as she sauntered down the aisle between the beds and the dressing tables like she was on a catwalk, she walked gracefully in them and the girls all envied how good they looked on her slim feet. "These are perfect to go with my dress for the ball!"

"That's what we thought!" Lizzie added as she admired the stunning creations residing on her friend's feet.

An hour later, after eating birthday cake and drinking pink grapefruit juice, the sixth year Hogwart's students clattered down the stairs to visit the great hall for breakfast. Lily found herself receiving birthday wishes from all directions as she passed by wearing an overlarge badge which the girls had charmed to read '17 today, wish me happy birthday!'. She was trying to keep her head down but to no avail and was becoming redder and redder by the minute.

By the end of the school day she was desperate to take it off but her friends refused to let her, she was trying to hide behind anything to stop people chorusing another round of 'Happy birthday to you' and was doubly embarrassed when she came face to face with Raulph on her way out of the great hall after dinner.

"Please don't sing to me," she begged as he opened his mouth so he just smiled and closed it again.

"May I say Happy Birthday then?" he asked smiling and she nodded. "Happy Birthday," he repeated and chuckled at her, "why didn't you tell me? I would have got you something. Now I feel bad"

"Oh no, you don't need to, honestly, I've had plenty today!" And running into you was just the icing on the cake, she thought to herself as she tried not to look too obviously into his stunning blue eyes.

"Are you going back to the train now?" he asked and she nodded. "Shame, we could have found something fun to do for your special day!"

"I've still got tons of work to do tonight," she sighed and he nodded in understanding, "even if it is my birthday! So I suppose I'd better get back to it!" She sighed again, but more because she would have to leave his company and as it was only Thursday she would have to wait almost a week before she could enjoy another afternoon of his pleasurable company.

"Well try and have a little fun before bedtime," he said while winking at her, "you only turn seventeen once!" Then he kissed her hand and walked on to the dining hall while Lily set off in the direction of the Hogwart's Express. She looked down at the spot where his lips had once more touched her hand and she allowed herself to momentarily think back to the kiss they had shared a few weeks before. She didn't allow herself to dwell on it too often but when she was curled up in bed at night she thought about how good it felt to have his lips touching hers and how for a split second she had believed that it was sincere. Sometimes she would play out a fantasy where the kiss had not ended as it did, where the shivers down her spine had continued and made her feel grown up and excited in ways she never had before, but then she would remember that it had not been that sincere, that it had only happened out of pity and she would feel bad again and remember why she did not allow herself to dwell on it.

She climbed the steps to the library once she was onboard the train followed closely by Lizzie who was complaining that they should be having fun somewhere instead of working on her birthday but her pleas were going unnoticed by Lily. They sat at a table in the library and worked for a good few hours before they were disturbed by Professor Longbottom who came to wish Lily happy birthday and give her a present from himself and Luna. It was a charm bracelet made from an odd assortment of charms, there was a silver phoenix feather and a few other silver wizarding items but there were also some polished teeth, a dragon skin star, a tiny carved unicorn horn and a tiny fluttering golden snitch. "Thank you," she said to her teacher as he looked sheepishly at the gift.

"Luna chose it," he said as if trying to explain the bizarre object.

"It's lovely," she replied smiling.

"I also came to say that you can use the floo in my room to speak to you parents, if you'd like to come up?" he asked and she jumped from her seat eagerly.

When she had finished thanking them for her wonderful presents and telling them about Lizzie's surprises she climbed back down the stairs and suggested that they pack it in for the night and head up to bed, her friend eagerly obliged and within minutes they were curled up on their beds talking about insignificant things. It was close to ten o clock, which was lights out time on a week day, when the other girls entered the room and they blew out the candlelight and settled down to sleep. Professor McGonagall checked on them at ten o clock precisely and then Lily turned onto her side and began to torture herself once more with the memory of Raulph's kiss.

About fifteen minutes had passed when she suddenly heard a tapping sound at the window, she ignored it the first time but then it sounded three more times and she dragged herself out of bed to see what was going on, drawing back the curtain she peered out into the moonlit grounds and saw a figure standing by the side of the train throwing small stones up at her window, upon closer inspection she realised that it was Raulph and her stomach lurched. She then jumped as Lizzie came to her side and peered out of the window too, "Who is it?" she whispered yawning.

"It's Raulph," Lily replied and Lizzie instantaneously perked up.

"Find out what he wants," she urged yanking up the window and letting a blast of freezing cold air into the room, Lily pulled her nightgown closer around her as she began to shiver.

"Lily?" a whispered voice called from the ground, "Is that you?"

"Raulph? What are you doing?" she called back.

"Giving you a birthday present."

"What?" she replied in a shocked tone not quite sure of what he meant.

"Come on down here, we've got a little party hidden away for you in the bottom common room."

"What? I...I can't, it's past curfew and lights out!"

"Come on!" he goaded, "It's your birthday, let your hair down!"

"But..."

"Come on Potter, no one will find out, you can bring Cornthwaite with you!" he added. He sounded a little merry and for a moment Lily wondered if he had been drinking something.

"Come on Lily," Lizzie said excitedly as a voice in the room begged them to close the window. "He's right it is your birthday, live a little, stop being a goody two shoes all the time!" Lily looked open mouthed at her friend who put her hands together and pleaded through enormous puppy dog eyes, the darker haired girl rolled her own eyes at her and then leaned out of the window.

"Give us five minutes," she whispered and then slammed the window shut, the rest of the sixth years groaned a thank you.

The two girls frantically pulled on jeans and jumpers before sliding silently from the room and tiptoeing down the stairs to the common room door, within seconds they were standing out in the cold mountain air looking at a grinning Raulph who was hiding in the shadows behind the train, "Come on," he whispered grabbing Lily's hand and causing her stomach to flip over again. They kept to the shadows all along the drawbridge and then had to dodge the few teachers prowling the courtyard and corridors looking for out of bed students, "This way," he added yanking her arm again and pulling her into a closed doorway, he pushed her up against the wall and placed his body close to hers while beckoning for Lizzie to step in behind him. Lily held her breath but could swear her heart was beating almost out of her chest with the excitement being created inside her by his nearness.

She could smell his soft, manly cologne on his neck as his head reached above her own, he was peering around the doorway to check that it was clear and his head suddenly darted in as he noticed a teacher walking past the end of the corridor. "Hush," he whispered to the two girls and he continued to hold Lily in the same place, he was also still holding her hand which was placed between their chests he had hers touching his jumper and she could feel his strong muscles through the thin quidditch shirt he was wearing. For a second he looked down at her and smiled and she longed for him to lean down and kiss her again as he had the last time they had been this close but she knew it was not going to happen so she looked away from him as he checked once more to make sure that the coast was clear. "Hurry," he said setting off again at speed down the corridor towards the small common room they had gone to when he had found her crying in the courtyard. As the door closed behind them all Raulph let go of her hand and leaned back against it clicking the lock with his wand and then casting mufliato to ensure they would not be heard.

In the room Lily was amazed to see a few Happy Birthday banners, another cake surrounded by bottles of butterbeer and a few more streamers. There were also three of the boys whom she had met at her first care of magical creatures lesson, she remembered the ginger haired one's name was Bjorn but had forgotten the names of the two almost identical dark haired east European looking boys. "Happy Birthday," they all chorused when she looked up at them and Lily smiled sweetly.

"You wouldn't let me get you a present so the least we could do was throw you a little party," Raulph whispered in her ear and then from behind a chair by the window he pulled a bottle of firewhiskey which he waved tauntingly at her and said, "fancy a drink? You are of age now!"

"But we're in school!" she shrieked and then inwardly chided herself for sounding like a goodie two shoes again when she was already breaking curfew and hanging out with three boys she didn't even know. Raulph however just smiled slyly at her as he grabbed a glass and poured her a rather large measure of the amber liquid, she had never tasted it before and was a little reluctant to try it in case she spluttered and spat it out, but then she thought if she didn't she would look like an equal fool for being chicken so with all eyes watching her she took a rather large swig and swallowed it with a wince, a wince which deepened as she felt the fluid burn her throat and insides as it travelled to her stomach. The rest of the room laughed heartily at her as Raulph poured them all a glass but similar faces followed their swigs and she felt at ease within minutes.

The party continued into the small hours of the morning, they drank the entire contents of the firewhiskey between the six of them along with the bottle of butterbeer each, they also devoured the cake and a few nibbles which Oskar, one of the dark haired boys, had taken from the castle kitchens. A small radio played music which they began to dance to when they were inebriated enough and on more than one occasion Lily fell over and had to be caught by Raulph, something which she didn't mind in the slightest.

At one o clock Lizzie went over to a chair in the corner with the other dark haired boy, Peter, Lily watched her sit on his knee and her eyes widened as she saw her friend begin to kiss the boy she had only just met quite passionately to say she had known him but three hours. Raulph laughed at the look on her face and then beckoned to two seats by the window, Lily walked over and dropped herself into one of them quite happily, her head was spinning and her legs ached from dancing so much. Her companion took the seat opposite her and the other two boys both pulled faces as Bjorn said light heartedly, "We'll just go then! Don't need us two playing gooseberry do you?"

Lily blushed furiously as Raulph whispered, "Ignore them, they're only jealous," and he nodded his head in the direction of Lizzie who appeared to be almost eating the poor Durmstrang boy, so much for Francis she thought to herself and then turned back to look at Raulph who was now gazing intently at Lily's face. She heard the door close behind the other two boys and she realised that the four of them were now alone and as Lizzie and her new companion were busy she was left to look at the handsome young Krum who seemed to be burning his gaze into her face. Suddenly she felt a little more sober at the sight of the penetrating stare he was giving her, "Lily Potter," he whispered moving to the edge of his seat without taking his eyes from her face, she began to feel a little uncomfortable but did not move from her position, "you really are a beautiful girl," he continued lifting a hand up to touch her cheek. She gasped as he came in contact with her flesh and gasped again when she felt him steady himself by placing his other hand gently on her knee, she was frozen to the spot and could not now take her own eyes from his square jawline and large, soft looking lips. "I want to kiss you again," he whispered and she held her breath for a moment.

"What?" she whispered back breathlessly.

"I want to kiss you," he repeated, "I have wanted to kiss you ever since I did before," he was leaning closer to her now and stroking her cheek with his thumb, "but I don't want to force you," he went on bringing his face so close to hers that she could not see his eyes anymore, "Lily?" he barely whispered.

"Hmmm?" she replied closing her eyes and breathing in his wonderful masculine aroma, she felt heady and though the room was spinning a little she felt that she was steady because he was holding her up with his hands. All sounds in the room seemed to have faded into the background and all she could hear was Rauplh's steady, rhythmic breathing. She could feel his breath on her face it was so close and she longed for him to place his full lips to hers and kiss her like he had done before, only this time she would know that it was not out of pity or to make her feel better, it would be because he wanted to kiss her, he had just told her that.

"Can I kiss you?" he asked seductively sending shivers down her spine, the fact that he had asked her made it seem all the more magical. Her eyelids fluttered open and she saw that he had leaned back to look into her eyes, he seemed to be searching for something, he looked hesitant and she realised he wanted her consent before he would do what she was longing for him to do.

Trying to put reassurance into her eyes she whispered breathlessly, "Yes," and then she watched as he smiled sweetly at her, a smile which seemed to light up his whole face, his eyes once more bore down into hers as he leaned slowly towards her again. She closed her eyes waiting and anticipating the feel of his lips crushing against hers again, his weight on her knee let her know he was almost touching her with them and she parted her own to allow him the kiss. She felt his breath again on her face this time it was heavy and hungry and she began to move her own head forwards towards him to show Raulph that she was as eager to kiss him as he was to kiss her, slowly tentatively...

"WHAT IS GOING ON IN HERE?" shouted a loud and angry voice, Lily's eyes snapped open and she saw Raulph jump swiftly and a little unsteadily to his feet. Shaken from her blissful state Lily turned to see a stern looking Durmstrang teacher standing in the doorway of the common room with his hands on hips glaring menacingly at Lily and Raulph and then at Lizzie and Peter. The former had jumped to her feet too at the sound but had then swayed and collapsed to the ground at Peter's feet, he was trying to lift her up but failing as he too was not quite steady enough to hold her up. "Have you been drinking?" the tall, lanky man seethed walking over to the coffee table which now had a selection of empty bowls and beer bottles along with the discarded, square firewhiskey bottle. "The headmaster's office this instant all of you," he bellowed grabbing the whiskey bottle and walking over to Lizzie, he lifted her to her feet and then practically carried her out of the room followed sheepishly by Peter, "Now," he called over his shoulder as Lily and Raulph were still glued to the spot and they followed his command immediately.

"I'm sorry," Raulph whispered to her as they walked along the corridor behind the teacher who had one arm around Lizzie.

"It's not your fault," she replied under her breath, "I could have stayed in my dormitory." She was trying to sound calm but the truth was Lily Potter had never been caught breaking the rules before, in fact she had rarely broken any school rules in her time at Hogwarts and was secretly worried about what was going to happen to her by way of punishment. However she was desperate to hide this fact from her accomplice but her efforts were fruitless as he could actually see right through her facade.

"No, but I should have locked the door after Bjorn and Oskar, I wasn't paying attention, I was too busy..." he drifted off and looked shyly at Lily who turned to face the teacher in front of them.

"Wait here," he ordered as he placed Lizzie on a bench beside a tall oak doorway close to the great hall the three other students sat down beside her and Lily put an arm around her, she was looking decidedly unwell and was moaning softly, Lily looked helplessly at Raulph who once more mouthed the word 'sorry' and looked woefully at his hands. They waited for ten minutes, which seemed like an eternity to the four guilty students, but eventually Lily heard a familiar tap of heels on the corridor and her heart sank when she realised who they belonged to. Sure enough a second later Professor McGonagall accompanied by Professor Nitschmann turned the corner and stopped in front of the students.

Her headmistress was wearing a thick tartan dressing gown and had curlers in her hair, she had obviously been dragged form her bed and though the sight of a teacher in such dress would normally have caused a twitter from her students the frown on her face wiped out any other vision they might have had of their headmistress. Lily knew she was in trouble as she glared sternly down on her and Lizzie, "I am disgusted Lily Potter," she barked severely, "out of the dormitory at this ungodly hour, and drinking too, what on earth has happened to you?" Lily looked down at the floor unable to meet the Professor's gaze, "And Lizzie Cornthwaite, a school prefect what sort of example is this to set?" Lizzie looked up at the teacher but it was a grave mistake to do so, as soon as her eyes reached the headteacher's her head spun and she doubled over throwing up the contents of her stomach on the floor and on McGonagall's feet.

Lily winced and braced herself, "Well, as Miss Cornthwaite is clearly not in any fit state to be lectured I think it best we get her back to the train, Miss Potter," she went on turning to face the embarrassed pupil, "we will sort out this debacle in the morning. Herr Fitzbaum," she continued turning to face the teacher who had caught them in the common room, "Thank you for informing me of the situation, I can assure you the girls will be fittingly punished, when they are in a state to receive it," she punctuated the last few words and glared at Lily who was in better shape than Lizzie. "Come along girls," she barked and Lily rose grudgingly from the bench helping the weary girl to her feet, as she turned to follow McGonagall back along the corridor she saw Raulph once more mouth the word sorry. She tried to reassure him through her eyes that it was not all his fault but a tut from the Professor made her hurry onwards, still feeling dizzy but trying her best to keep Lizzie up on her feet.

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Lily was disturbed the next morning by a deep groan from the pod beneath her, she slowly came around feeling strangely thick headed. As she heard the groan again followed by a retching sound she sat up swiftly in bed and then immediately wished that she hadn't, it felt like someone had taken a large sledgehammer and was repeatedly hitting away at the inside of her brain she groaned herself and then laid her head back on the pillow. Moments later the bedroom door opened and a voice which belonged to their headmistress said briskly, "Miss Potter, Miss Cornthwaite I will see you in the dining car in ten minutes," then she left the room as swiftly as she had entered it allowing the door to slam loudly behind her, the sound reverberated around Lily's brain and the events of the previous night came flooding back to her mind. They had sneaked out of their dormitory, drunk firewhiskey and been caught in a Durmstrang common room at half past one in the morning, putting her hands on her aching head she groaned once more and then heaved herself out of the bed. She landed on the floor and stood up wearily before looking at her friend who had her head in a large earthen ware bowl and was still being sick, "What did we do?" Lizzie asked extracting her head from the bowl.

"Don't shout," Lily replied as she sat at the dressing table and dropped her head into her hands.

"Was I kissing someone last night?" Lizzie asked shyly.

"Er just a bit," Lily replied trying to laugh but unable to stand the pain that laughing brought to her head as it moved up and down.

"Merlin, I don't think I have ever felt this ill in all my life," Lizzie moaned.

"Well we'd better get down to the dining car in six minutes time or we're going to feel a lot worse."

"Oh no, what is she going to say?" Lizzie gasped throwing herself back onto her pillow violently and immediately wishing she hadn't, the movement made her feel sick and her head was back in the bowl within seconds. "Oh, I can't do it," she went on.

"I don't think you have a choice," Lily replied standing up slowly and pulling on her school robes. Lizzie dragged herself out of bed and pulled on her own clothes and together the two extremely hung over girls made their way to the dining car where they found Professor McGonagall sitting at a table with pursed lips and a distinct frown on her face. Professor Longbottom was stood behind her looking equally unimpressed and the two girls looked at their feet as they felt the teachers' glares blazing into them.

"I am absolutely outraged by both of you," McGonagall began speaking in a raised voice which seemed even louder than it actually was inside Lily and Lizzie's pounding heads. "Out of the dormitory after curfew, drinking with male seventh year students and you Miss Cornthwaite, a prefect chosen for her exemplary behaviour, I am appalled by both of you and so is Professor Longbottom. We thought we had chosen well behaved students to bring on this trip with us but to be let down in such a way by two usually rule abiding pupils." The girls could not take their eyes from the ground and each reverberating word made them feel worse and worse about what they had done, "Your parents have already been informed," she went on, "the owls were sent as soon as I rose," their jaws dropped and Lily felt even worse about herself when she thought about what her mother and father would have to say. "Now it is only because your school records are as yet untarnished that I am not sending you both back to Hogwarts," they looked up at the headmistress with horrified faces, "but rest assured you have had a warning, step one foot out of line for the rest of the year and you will be returned immediately, no questions asked do you understand?"

"Yes Professor McGonagall," they replied in unison.

"Now I trust you are both feeling the after effects of your stupid behaviour?" they both nodded in response, "Good," she continued, "neither of you will be excused from your lessons today," their faces fell, all either of them wanted to do was crawl back into bed and sleep, "and as further punishment you will be banished to the Hogwart's Express for a week and that includes for eating, the house elves will prepare your meals here, you will remain within the train's compartments at all times except for when you attend your lessons, until next Friday morning, is that clear?"

"Yes Professor McGonagall," they replied more glumly this time.

"Good, then I shall expect you back here when your lessons end this afternoon, before you leave I suggest you take some toast from the table," she indicated a plate piled high with hot buttered toast which made both of their stomachs turn, "and make sure you drink plenty of water," she added as she rose from her seat and left the room. Professor Longbottom looked at them with the same disappointed stare as they sat at the table and began to force down a slice of toast each. Lily was sure it was going to come straight back up but she managed to chew slowly and keep it in her stomach, Lizzie however managed half a slice before she ran to the toilet and Lily heard it hit the bowl, the Professor sighed at her and she left the table sheepishly to collect her bag for the school day.

The day seemed to drag for both of them and Lily could have sworn that all the clocks in the world had stopped, every time she glanced down at her watch she found that only five minutes had passed since she had last looked at it. The entire day was complete torture, neither of them learned anything at all as they could not concentrate on any work due to the pounding in their heads and between each lesson Lizzie had to run for the nearest bathroom and throw up. At lunchtime they went back to the Hogwart's Express dining car where the house elves had prepared a couple of ham and pickle sandwiches which Lizzie pushed aside immediately, Professor Longbottom was there again and the girls both realised that he would be their watcher for the next week, he kept looking at them both through disappointed eyes and then shaking his head.

The last lesson of the day seemed to be the longest, it was Arithmancy which was difficult to study anyway and a raging hangover did nothing to help, the teacher droned on and on about something and Lily was sure she had gone to hell. She was longing to lie down on her bed and sleep away the sickly feeling in her stomach and the pounding hammer in her head and when the clock finally reached three o clock she might have whooped for joy if she hadn't been so ill. The two girls trudged back across the courtyard to the train where they were going to spend the next sixty five hours, but neither of them really cared as their beds were waiting for them and at that moment they could think of nothing more than clambering into them and shutting the world away. However when they got to the train they found Professor Longbottom waiting for them in the main common room and in his hand was a smoking red letter which Lily recognised immediately. She had never received a howler herself before but she had witnessed a few in the great hall at school and knew that her mother had sent a few to both James and Vernon during their Hogwarts days, she looked at it and winced knowing instinctively that it was for her and not from Lizzie's parents because they were muggles and did not know about howlers.

"I suggest you open it quickly," said Professor Longbottom as he held it out to her, she reached out reluctantly and took it from him holding her breath.

The moment it touched her hands the letter unfolded like a mouth and a shrill voice rang out, "LILY POTTER HOW COULD YOU? YOU HAVE DISGRACED BOTH ME AND YOUR FATHER WITH YOUR THOUGHTLESS BEHAVIOUR, I WOULD HAVE EXPECTED BETTER FROM YOU YOUNG LADY THAN TO GO OFF DRINKING AND AFTER CURFEW TO BOOT. JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE COME OF AGE DOES NOT MEAN YOU CAN WRITE AND FOLLOW YOUR OWN RULES WHEN IT COMES TO SCHOOL, I HOPE YOU ARE BEING PUNISHED ACCORDINGLY AND IF I HEAR THAT YOU HAVE DONE ANYTHING LIKE THIS AGAIN I WILL BRING YOU STRAIGHT HOME FROM DURMSTRANG MYSELF!" The voice rose even higher at the end of the final sentence and Lily began to cower in front of it. As soon as it had finished speaking the howler burst into a single flame and fell as ash to the floor, Lily and Lizzie had both winced throughout the entire lecture as their heads were still pounding.

"Well as that is out of the way I think you two ought to be off to the library to get your homework done before dinner," their mouths fell open at his words and he noticed their horror, "Professor McGonagall has insisted that I make sure you work until dinner tonight and that you are both out of bed and back in the library tomorrow morning by eight o clock for a full day's school work, no doubt you have plenty to keep you busy so you may as well use this opportunity." They looked at each other with mouths wide open, it was almost another three hours until dinner time and they both just wanted to sleep. They knew how McGonagall was punishing them and it was working, neither girl had any desire to touch a drop of firewhiskey ever again.

Wearily they climbed the stairs to the library and pulled out sets of books, they didn't do very much productive work and by the time they had eaten a meal of moussaka alone in the dining car with Professor Longbottom they could do little else other than drag themselves to the dormitory, change into their nightclothes and drop onto their beds like a couple of dead weights even thought it was only just past seven o clock. They both slept peacefully until the following morning when they were woken by a knock on the bedroom door at half past seven and told to be in the dining car for breakfast in fifteen minutes.

They spent the entire day in the library, both were more animated than they had been the previous day but the Professor marking in the corner ensured that they did not speak to each other all day except for at meal times when they were allowed into the dining car. After dinner they were allowed to return to the common room where they sat in a cosy corner and thought about what had happened on Lily's birthday, Lily let herself think back on what had been about to happen when they were interrupted by the teacher. Raulph had been about to kiss her again, he had actually been leaning in to do it, the exact details of it all were a little bit hazy and she could not remember what had been said before hand but Lily was suddenly starting to come around to the idea that maybe Lizzie was right, maybe he did like her in the same way that she liked him. But then again was it just the drink talking? She thought. She knew that having too much booze could make you do silly things that you would not normally have done, so maybe it had just been another heat of the moment thing because it was her birthday and she was there. Unfortunately she would not be able to see him again until Wednesday which seemed almost a lifetime away to her, there was no way she would run into him in the great hall before then and she sighed deeply as she realised that there were still four more days of virtual prison before she would be able to talk to him about it. Even then, she started to worry, what would she say? What if it had been just because he was drunk? Or what if he couldn't even remember it happening at all? Raulph had had a lot more than them to drink, maybe he would have absolutely no recollection of the almost kiss.

After mulling it over in her head for a few more minutes Lily decided that she would not say anything to him about it unless he mentioned it to her first, he had been the one who had initiated it in the first place whether because he wanted to or because he was drunk and until he actually brought it up himself she decided the safest thing to do would be to stay quiet and pretend it had never happened.

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By Monday morning Raulph was starting to think that Lily Potter was avoiding him, he had not seen her once since her birthday when they had been so rudely interrupted as he had been about to kiss her again. He had played that moment over and over again in his mind ever since she had been rudely whisked away from him by her headteacher that night. He had been so close to touching her with his lips once more, but this time it would have been different, she had wanted the kiss too, he had sensed it, he remembered vividly the fact that they had been about to kiss but had no recollection whatsoever of how they had come to be in the position that they were in, had she initiated it or had he? Raulph didn't know. All he did know was that he had been so close to feeling that electricity flowing through his body again and then the teacher had interrupted them because Oskar and Bjorn had not put the charm back on the door after they had left.

He eventually collared one of the Hogwart's students at break on Monday morning and asked if they had seen Lily and her friend at all.

"Confined to the train until Friday except for lessons," the smug looking girl replied.

"Thank you," he whispered as he sighed with relief, she wasn't avoiding him she had had no choice. At least he would get to see her in their care of magical creatures lesson on Wednesday, even if it was only for an hour, although, he thought to himself, it was not really the ideal place to discuss what had almost happened between them. He suddenly wondered if she had a date for the Yule ball and was beginning to hope that she hadn't because if he got the response he wanted from her when they could talk about the other night he was hoping to ask her himself and turn up as a champion with the most beautiful girl in the school.

He had received a weeks worth of detention after school and all day Saturday as a punishment for being out of bed after curfew and for drinking. His father had been informed and he had told his mother whose howler had arrived the very next morning in the great hall and her disappointed voice had rung out around the entire room so that by the time it burst into flames the entire school was looking at him pityingly. The detentions had passed slowly, he had been made to clean the toilets on each floor of the boy's dormitories with a toothbrush and no wand, it had been gruesome but, he thought, a punishment worth serving for the fun time he had had with Lily Potter.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8 – Christmas time at Durmstrang

By Wednesday Lily was going out of her mind with boredom, she liked to get her work done and did spend a fair amount of time in the library studying every day but after five full days of either studying, being in lessons or eating in the dining car with Professor Longbottom and Lizzie she was desperate for someone else's company. Lizzie was constantly moaning about what she would do now that she had been kissing Peter when she was supposed to be going to the ball with Francis, would Peter ask her? Would she want to go with him instead of Francis? How can she work out what she's feeling when she can't even see either of them? She had been so supremely drunk at the time that she had been completely oblivious to what had been going on between Raulph and Lily and the latter had decided not to share the details until she had seen Raulph and found out for herself whether it had been just because he was drunk. She had laid in bed every night running over it again and again and then fantasizing that they had actually been able to kiss she imagined what it would have been like, a few times the kiss had developed into something more as Raulph's hands had begun to explore her body both outside and inside her clothe. The idea had excited her and this Wednesday morning she was feeling more eager than ever to see him, she was hoping that he was going to mention the almost kiss and they would finally be able to sort out their feelings.

After eating a freshly prepared sandwich in the dining car Lily and Lizzie went their separate ways for the only lesson which they did not have together, as she walked across freshly fallen snow to the animal pens in the courtyard she saw a familiar crop of shaggy dark blonde hair, he had his back to her and was talking to Oskar and Bjorn who nodded at her as she approached the group. "Afternoon," they said as Raulph turned to look at her, she felt her heart skip a beat when he smiled down at her and she gazed longingly into his shining blue eyes, "sorry about the punishment, it's a bit harsh, bet you're going out of your mind!" Bjorn added looking at her apologetically.

"We should have reset the charm when we left but..." Oskar said.

"It's nearly over," she replied.

"Hi!" Raulph said quietly, almost shyly.

"Hi," she returned looking away from him now as she realised she had been staring at his face for much longer than was normal.

"I've missed you around," he went on, "thought you were avoiding me at first until I heard about your imprisonment, sorry about that, I should have checked the charm when they'd gone too."

"It's done now, don't worry about it," she reassured suddenly becoming a little worried that he appeared to be uncomfortable around her, she was waiting for him to mention the kiss but knew that he would not bring it up while his friends were still there.

She waited through the entire lesson, once Frau Morton had sent them off in twos to find out which foods the new firestoat preferred she hoped that he might bring it up, they were completely by themselves and had chosen the pen furthest from the teacher which was also a short distance away from all the other ones. After trying leaves and berries Lily went straight for the juicy looking steak which each group had been provided with and discovered that the firestoat was a rather vicious carnivore as it devoured the whole thing in seconds using its razor sharp teeth. Once they had discovered this fact they tried to feed it the other food sources they had been given but the animal was disinterested in it all and so were they, instead they kept looking at each other uncomfortably and Lily was desperate for him to mention the other night.

By the time Frau Morton had assigned their homework and they had packed up their experiments Lily was almost beside herself, why had he not said anything to her yet? Surely if he had wanted to kiss her then he still wanted to now unless it had just been the drinking or he'd forgotten about it or... She looked over at him and smiled in a friendly way and he picked up her bag and offered to walk with her back to the train. This was it, they would be completely alone for a few minutes, she was sure he wanted to say something and this was his chance, they might be able to finally share that kiss beside the train before she had to go back into it for another torturous night.

As they walked side by side over the drawbridge towards the train they both made idle conversation about the lesson, it was mostly prompted by Raulph and Lily was allowing him to take the lead in the hopes that he would eventually move on to the other night. As they got closer and closer to the scarlet engine she began to worry that he was not going to bring it up at all and was half tempted to mention it herself when they had reached the carriage door and they were still discussing the bizarre collection of food they had been provided with for the firestoat. Lily put her hand on the door when they got there and then turned to look at his face, she was slightly smaller than he was so she had to look up and she noticed that his eyes were boring back down into hers, this was it he was going to say something or do something, "Lily," he whispered.

"Hmm," she said almost breathlessly.

He coughed and went on, "The...the other night."

"Yes," she replied leaning towards him a little.

"Well...it was...was good fun, wasn't it?" she nodded at him, she was still looking up at him but his eyes had now begun to shift nervously around which she found quite endearing. "I...I am sorry though about what happened, I...I should have been more...careful but...I..." he coughed again and Lily started to feel worried again that this stilted sentence was not going to go the way she wanted it to, did he mean he was sorry that they got caught, or was he sorry he had tried to kiss her again? She tried to hide the worry behind a smile but he wouldn't look into her face anyway so it didn't really matter. "I just...I'm sorry that we can't have our usual afternoon today." He looked up at her then and smiled, "I suppose you have to get in?" he gestured to the door and her heart sank.

"Yes," she replied sullenly.

"Well, I'll...I'll see you after your imprisonment."

"Yeah."

"Bye then," he said quietly turning away from her and walking back towards the castle by himself. Lily watched him go and bit her lip to keep back the emotion she was feeling, she had been so sure that he was going to say something, bits of her birthday night had come back to her over the week and she was sure that Raulph had actually said something about wanting to kiss her, but was it only the alcohol which had done that? She turned and walked through the door making her way to the library where she tried to work for the rest of the afternoon but her head was confused again and she didn't get very much done. By the time she packed away for her dinner she had barely written a word on her parchment but she had convinced herself that it had been purely alcohol talking and that she was going to put away her feelings for the handsome young Krum and concentrate on something else.

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Raulph inwardly kicked himself all the way back to the common room where he actually did kick a couple of chair legs and stubbed his toe before sitting down in one of them and burying his face in his hands, what the hell had that been about? Why hadn't he just said to her, 'I like you Lily,'? What's the worst that could have happened? She said no and their friendship was ruined. But she had looked quite responsive to him, like she was waiting for him to mention the other night and he'd turned into a blundering idiot stuttering and spluttering an apology about the whole thing. He had been all set to talk to her on the way back to the train as it had been impossible really in the lesson, even though they had headed for the furthest pen he had still found it too crowded for a conversation that could have ended in a kiss. It had only been as they were packing away and he had realised they would not be spending the afternoon together because of her punishment that he had offered to walk her back to her prison thinking it would be the perfect opportunity to say something.

He had played the conversation over a few times but when it came to actually saying it he found he was suddenly completely tongue tied, he had made small talk as they walked but when they had reached their destination he had found his brain and mouth had stopped working and after gabbling something about being sorry that it had all happened he had practically run away like a lovesick thirteen year old. He ran his fingers through his hair and stared into the burning fire in the grate, he knew now that he probably wouldn't see her again for two days until her punishment had been lifted and he decided then and there that the next time he saw her he was just going to tell her exactly how he felt. He spent the rest of the afternoon wishing that he was with Lily like he normally would be on Wednesdays and did very little else before his final lesson of the day.

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By Friday morning Lily and Lizzie were both adamant that they would never break a school rule again, they were desperate to be out of the Hogwart's Express and had both agreed that they would stay out for as much as possible over the weekend. They were quite excited about the prospect of eating in the great hall on Friday evening and after their lessons finished at three o clock they decided to take a long walk outside, even if it was cold. They ambled around the outskirts of the fortress passing the mountainside where the champions had completed their first task, Lily frowned as she remembered Raulph climbing up it and she once more began to dwell on fact that he had said he was sorry for what had happened on her birthday. She had now convinced herself that he meant he was sorry about almost kissing her and was determined to make sure he did not work out that she would not have been sorry at all. She had not seen him since Wednesday but she was well aware that she would probably run into him at dinner that night.

Eventually they had to set off towards the dining hall, they were looking forward to a loud and raucous meal for once after the week of eating alone, although the meals prepared by the house elves on the train were just as delicious as the ones in the castle, they were a much quieter affair with only Lizzie and Professor Longbottom for company. They took their seats at the sixth year table and were welcomed back by some people who commiserated them about their punishment. They smiled as they began to tuck into the food which appeared instantaneously on their plates and after wolfing down three courses were comfortably satisfied and ready to return to the main common room. As they rose from their seats Lily heard the voice she had been half dreading and half anticipating hearing since the moment she had walked into the room, "Lily," it said and she turned to look into those deep cerulean eyes once more, her stomach did its usual little flip but her resolve strengthened and she tried to ignore the way he was making her feel, "can we-"

He was cut off swiftly as another voice shouted her name aswell, "Lily," it said and she turned away from Raulph to face a slightly taller brown haired boy wearing Hogwarts robes.

"David," she replied to him softly.

"I...I'm sorry to interrupt," he looked apologetically at Raulph, it looked like he had been plucking up the courage to talk to Lily again and it seemed like a now or never moment, "I just thought we should...you know sort out our plans for the," his voice dropped quite low, "Yule ball."

"Oh, yes, yes I suppose we should," she replied glancing at Raulph for a second.

"So do you want to meet in the common room or up here at the hall?" he asked.

"I think the common room, don't you?"

"Right, okay the common room then at half past seven?" he replied looking a little more relaxed than he had when he had approached her.

"Half past seven," she said softly touching his arm and then he flashed her a quick smile before turning around and heading back to the seventh year table where he had been sitting. Then Lily turned back to look at Raulph, "Did you want to talk?" she asked gently.

"What?" he replied looking a little confused, "yes I...er...are you going to the ball with David?" he asked and she nodded in reply. "Oh, I...no I just wanted to see how you were now that your confinement has been lifted," he grinned childishly trying to hide that fact that he was deeply gutted that she had a date for the ball while simultaneously trying to show that he had not been about to ask her himself.

"Great," she said, "I won't be breaking any more rules anytime soon," she went on, "was there anything else?"

"What? Oh no, no I'm just glad you're punishment is over, I'll see you around yeah?"

"I'm sure you will," she finished and then turned to walk out of the hall, arm in arm with Lizzie. Raulph watched her walk away and felt himself pining, he had been building up all day to ask her if she wanted to go to the ball with him and he had been hoping she would say yes and then he would have a starting point to work from in order to kiss her properly and maybe ask her to be more than just friends.

Lizzie chuckled all the way to the train and by the time they got there Lily had to ask her what was wrong.

"What was wrong?" she replied laughing heartily now they were inside the common room, "That was brilliant!"

"What do you mean?" Lily asked innocently.

"Oh, Lily you are so naive! I thought you were playing hard to get."

"Me? Why?"

"Oh it is so obvious that Raulph likes you, he was gutted when he realised you were going to the ball with David!"

"Was he?"

Lizzie shook her head and continued through strangled giggles, "You really have no idea do you? You think I can't remember much about your birthday don't you?" Lily looked at her and drew back her head in shock. "I was quite out of it I know, but I do remember you two going off to a quiet corner on your own and it looked like you were going to be doing what me and Peter were already doing, oh come on Lily," she said as the other girl sat back and stared at her friend, "I know you were kissing."

"No we weren't!" Lily shrieked.

"Liar!"

"We weren't, we were almost kissing but then the teacher came in and well you know what happened next, and then I had to wait until Wednesday and when I saw him I thought he was going to say something about it and he even walked me back here after the lesson because we couldn't go to the common room and then he tried to say something to me but he kept looking away from me and ended up just apologising for what had happened. I think he meant the almost kiss," she added quietly.

"No way," her friend replied. "That boy was dying to ask you out until David mentioned the ball and then you could see it in his face, he was disappointed."

"Well that's not how he came across to me," Lily sulked.

"Lily, did you say anything to him about the almost kiss?"

"Well...no...I didn't..."

"Because?"

"Because I was waiting for him to say something."

Lizzie began to laugh again, "And he was probably waiting for you to say something! Honestly I swear next time I see him I'm going to-"

"Don't you dare," Lily shrieked at her, "I will never forgive you!"

"Well you'd better get it done instead and soon because I'm sick of seeing you both gazing at each other like love sick puppies and doing nothing about it!" Lily looked at her friend with a slightly angry stare but relaxed it and began to laugh along with her after a while, maybe she was right but it was a bit late now with the ball coming up, she had already agreed to go with David and she couldn't change that now she would just have to talk Raulph afterwards, if she could ever find the courage to do so.

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As the last day before the Christmas holidays approached students and teachers alike were full of the Christmas spirit, the last few lessons of the week were all centred around a Yuletide theme and included charming decorations on to trees and transfiguring redundant items into sparkling decorations. There were Christmas tunes playing all day through the corridors by a magical schoolboy choir and a fresh sprinkling of snow on the ground every morning only helped to put everyone in the holiday mood. Lily and Raulph had had two more care of magical creatures lessons and had spent both afternoons following the lessons working in the large Durmstrang common room. Neither of them had mentioned anything about the night of Lily's birthday and things had gone back to normal between them.

Lily had been on a couple of walks with David who had become less nervous around her and they had even kissed the previous night when they had walked underneath one of the fresh sprigs of mistletoe being floated around the castle and its grounds. It had been a pleasant kiss but there had not been any spark or jolt of electricity for Lily like there had been with Raulph. David was an attractive boy but in a much more serious way than Raulph, he had dark brown hair which was always neatly styled and closely shaven at the back and his eyes were blue like Raulph's but they did not seem to shine out at her when she looked at him. He reminded her of her Uncle Percy who was the most serious of the Weasley Uncles, David was very studious and abided by all of the rules, he had not mentioned Lily's birthday night during any of their walks around the castle but she could tell that he had not been impressed by the activities. A few times during their time together she would compare him to carefree and fun Raulph who was always laughing and joking while he still had his more serious side but as she now knew that he did not have the same feelings for her as she did for him Lily had decided to make the best of it and try to forget about him in the hopes of developing a spark between her and David.

The only thing which had spoilt the Christmas mood for Lily was when she had turned up for her last care of magical creatures lesson, it had been the last one of the term and Frau Morton had allowed them to test which drinks the firestoat preferred and had included Christmas eggnog as one of the choices. As she had approached the pens where the lessons took place she had noticed a boy she had never seen before, he looked to be a seventh year and was wearing the Durmstrang uniform, he was tall, bulky and had a podged belly. His hair was roughly cut around his shoulders and was bright blonde, he had a menacing look about him and when he noticed Lily walking up to the pens he leered at her and put his fingers in his mouth to call a wolf whistle at her. There had only been a few other members of the class waiting at the time as she had been early and they all turned away and ignored his behaviour as Lily started to blush. Eventually she had reached the area and had had no choice but to stand by herself and wait for Raulph, she looked out towards the entrance which led to the great hall staring determinedly in that direction however the leering boy had moved closer to her, right into her personal space, and had then run a finger down her arm making Lily shudder as he said, "And who might you be?"

"Lily Potter," she had replied putting on a brave voice and trying to hide the fact that she was feeling very uncomfortable in such close quarters to this boy.

"From Hogwarts are you?" he asked in a seedy voice, "Yeah I noticed you all seem to be pretty you Hogwart's girls and the Beauxbaton ones too, got a date for the ball yet? Cause if you haven't I'll take ya!"

He had cackled then in a sinister way and she had replied using the same calm unwavering voice, "Yes, thank you."

"Shame, I could have had a bit of fun with a pretty girl like you!" He had cackled once more while putting his hand on her arm, Lily had held back the shiver determined not to show this horrible boy that he was making her uncomfortable and at that moment Raulph and his friends had stepped out of the castle, laughing and joking as usual, and had made their way towards her. She'd noticed the look on Raulph's face turn to one of anger when he saw the position she was in and he had suddenly started to stride purposefully in her direction.

"Get away from her, Branton," he said as he reached her and knocked away the hand which was still resting on Lily's arm, "you may think you've got away with what you did, but we all know it happened and we'll be watching you even if the teachers aren't."

"Well well, it's the champion," he had said sarcastically, "this your date for the ball?" he'd asked tuning back to Lily, she had started to shake her head but as she did so Raulph grabbed her arm and led her away from him.

"None of your business," he called back over his shoulder and then when he had moved far enough away he had turned Lily to face him before explaining his actions. "That's Rick Branton, nasty piece of work, always has been. He's a seventh year like me."

"How come I've never seen him before?" she asked curiously looking back at the boy who was leering at every girl who happened to walk across the courtyard.

"He was suspended just after we came back, before you all came. A girl in the fifth year accused him of trying to assault her in the common room one night after most students were in bed. He'd been leering at her since the first day and had been making suggestive comments, everyone had heard him, well everyone except the teachers. Anyway the day after it had happened the girl went to Nitschmann and told him what had gone on and naturally he had hit the roof, Branton was called in and his parents notified while the girl went home for a while. The headmaster suspended him indefinitely until the matter was sorted out. Of course no one here knew what was going on but I know a lot of girls were relieved because he was always whistling at them and watching them like that," he indicated the boy who was now staring at a younger girl crossing the courtyard by herself, the way he looked at her made Lily feel uncomfortable for the girl and she shuddered a little. "Then, lo and behold three days ago he comes waltzing back into our dorm, all charges were dropped, the girl had 'got it all wrong'," he made air quotes with his fingers around these words and flashed a glaring look at Rick who was searching round for another victim, "reckoned she had made it all up because he wouldn't look at her and she was trying to pull him."

"But how did...?"

"Branton's Dad is well off and in with the magical government, he'll have paid someone off, the girl has moved schools, apparently too embarrassed about what she has done and Rick is back here just in time to ruin everyone's Christmas fun. He's bad news Lily please stay away from him as much as you can, and warn Lizzie too and the other Hogwarts girls for that matter. The teachers will be keeping a closer eye on him I'm sure but he's sly and sneaky so just be careful won't you?" She had nodded at him, secretly pleased that he cared so much about her and thinking back for a moment on what Lizzie had said about it being obvious that he liked her. Looking up at him during that moment she could have really believed it wholeheartedly, he was trying to protect her and she found it wonderfully endearing.

Lily had managed to avoid Rick's stares and crude comments for the rest of the week and now there was only twenty minutes left until the holidays officially began, Christmas day was in six days and that meant the Yule ball too. As most people were staying at the school over Christmas because of the triwizard festivities the teachers had decided to organise a trip into the nearest wizarding village for all students in the top three years. It was to take place on Saturday and they would all be taken by sleigh down the mountain to Lisleberg, a village similar to Hogsmeade only slightly larger. It had been founded at the same time as the school almost eight hundred years ago and had originally been a place to house all the teachers who had not lived on site in those days. As there were only wizards living there it had quickly become a popular place to live as it meant they did not need to take care to keep their world hidden from the muggles. The place had grown over the years and was a thriving wizarding village with a variety of interesting and curious shops alongside those which provided most wizarding essentials.

The students, especially those who had never been before, were excited about the visit and Lily and Lizzie were up until the early hours talking about what it was going to be like. Hogsmeade at Christmas was like a magical wonderland, it was always covered in snow and decorated in style, trudging through the snow on a cold winter's day had been one of the highlights of the year and the girls had done all of their Christmas shopping during the one visit they were allowed before going home for the holidays. They both hoped that Lisleberg would be almost the same with singing choirs and hundreds of decorations up and down the street, they wondered what shops would await them and what delights there would be inside to send home to their loved ones.

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Saturday morning dawned and a group of excited students gathered near the castle drawbridge where seventeen white sleighs were waiting for them in a long row, they had room enough for about eight students and each one was being drawn by two animals which looked like a cross between a reindeer and a moose, they appeared much bigger and stronger than an average reindeer and seemed aptly built to drag the large sleighs full of people. Lizzie and Lily climbed into a sleigh near the back of the row and were promptly joined by Terry and David along with a couple of other Hogwart's students. Lily noticed Raulph approach the drawbridge and look round for her, when he caught sight of the dark haired girl in her snow white fur lined cloak he smiled and then turned to look for another sleigh when he noticed that she was sitting with David. Lizzie also saw this and smiled knowingly at her friend who frowned in response before turning her head to engage in conversation with David.

"Do you girls think you could help me pick out something for Mel?" Terry asked shyly, "I haven't a clue what I should buy her." They giggled at him and nodded as the sleighs began to move forwards and the next fifteen minutes passed quickly as they gazed at the scenery around them and discussed possible ideas for Mel's present.

The ride down the mountain was smooth as they travelled over the fresh snow, they passed through a short forest and came out on the other side where they could see the little village in the distance, it was about halfway up the mountain on another plateau, it was larger than Hogsmeade but looked just as picturesque, especially with the snow all around it. There was one long street which had a variety of different sized buildings all of which looked like Alpine lodges, they were all built out of logs and had small porches on the front of them, as they drew nearer the eagerly looking students could see that they all had a few steps which led up to them as they were elevated from the floor. There were a few side streets leading off the main one where more buildings of similar sizes could be seen, these looked more like homes than shops though. Everything was covered in snow so the roofs could not be seen properly and the main street was just compacted white, lots of wrapped up shoppers were already hurrying up and down the street calling in shops and carrying bags of goodies.

The sleighs all came to rest outside a large cabin at the bottom of the street which had a pub sign swinging outside, it was called The Alpine Horn and unlike the other buildings along the street it had no porch, the door opened straight out onto the street and as it opened to let out a couple of customers the students could see a roaring fire inside, stoked up high to keep its patrons warm. They all alighted from the sleighs in small groups, David held out his hand for Lily as she stepped down and Raulph passed by at the same time, Lizzie noticed him cast a green eyed look at the Hufflepuff boy but Lily had not seen it, she took the hand gratefully and landed by his side without ever seeing Raulph walk past them.

"The sleighs will leave from here in three hours students, be sure to be back because it is a long and steep walk back to the fortress if you miss them," Professor Nitschmann informed them all before turning to the other teachers who had accompanied them and gesturing towards the Alpine Horn's doorway.

Once they had all disappeared inside the students left in small groups to explore the shops, "Would you care to walk with us?" David asked the girls who nodded in agreement and they set off up the slightly elevated street in search of purchases. Raulph, who was stood slightly ahead of Lily and her friends with Peter and Sitric, saw David offer his arm to her and she took it willingly, he felt a growling inside of him and soon realised that he was glaring quite menacingly in their direction. He did not like the boy who Lily was with and he knew it was purely because he wanted it to be him offering her his arm as they made their way through the streets of Lisleberg. A cough from one of his friends brought him out of his reverie and they set off into the village themselves a few paces behind the brown haired boy who's back Raulph was almost burning a hole into.

There were curiosity shops dotted up and down the street selling a strange variety of things, one of them was covered from wall to wall in talismans and superstitious items which Lily found amazing, she noticed a corner dedicated to a phenomenon she had heard of but was convinced did not exist, the crumple horned snorcack, which her godmother Luna was obsessed with. She received a few strange looks from her companions when she decided to buy a bracelet supposedly made from its claws but she dashed these away as she said, "My godmother, Professor Longbottom's wife, is obsessed with this creature, I think she'd like this for Christmas!" She bought her cousins various selections of sweets from a store which could rival Honeydukes and spotted a silver alchemists test tube set in an old apothecary which she got for Albus.

After finding suitable gifts for all of their families the four friends set about choosing something for Terry to give to Mel, at the top of the street was a small jewellery shop which had a variety of both antique and new items. They eventually picked out a necklace for Mel which had a strange glowing red jewel on it, they all thought was very pretty and it reminded Lily of a similar one which her mother wore around her neck. It was a golden rock which shimmered constantly without having to be polished or even washed, her mother said her father had given it to her shortly after they were married but she never explained why it shimmered like it did. While they were waiting for Terry to pay for the necklace the doorbell tinkled and Raulph walked in with Sitric, he nodded at Lily and asked her if she was enjoying Lisleberg and she replied with a vehement 'yes.' David stepped closer to her as Raulph spoke and she felt his arm slip around her waist as the latter's eyes seemed to darken a little. "I'm looking for something for my mother," Raulph said focusing his attention on the pretty girl and not the envious looking boy clamped to her side, "any ideas?"

"I was just looking at these beautiful charms," she said pointing to a selection of antique gold ones in the shop window, "does your mother have a charm bracelet?" she asked and he looked at her with an expression which told her he had no idea what kind of jewellery his mother had at all. "Nothing like this?" she said holding out her own bracelet but his expression didn't change, "Oh, well maybe not, why not just try a simple bracelet, I'm sure she would be happy with anything!" she laughed and Raulph found himself chuckling along, he loved to hear her laugh and her face always lit up when she did so giving her a more beautiful look than usual. He smiled gratefully at her and then noticed the boy beside her who was glaring at him but was obviously not going to act on the jealousy he was feeling.

"I'll find something," he said deciding to back off, "enjoy the rest of your day," he added and then turned to walk to another corner of the shop as Terry approached with his gift bag and the four of them left. Having picked up everything they wanted the companions decided to head back to the Alpine Horn and enjoy a bottle of butterbeer before they made the journey back up to the castle. It was cosy and warm inside the pub which had lots of cosy booths along three of the walls and a variety of mismatched tables and chairs in the centre. They bought four bottles and then clambered into one of the booths, Terry sitting with Lizzie and David sliding in next to Lily. He was starting to get on her nerves a little bit now, she had never spent such a long period of time in the company of a boy before, other than her family members and Raulph, and the way he kept sliding his arm around her waist and offering it to her as they walked was too much. In truth she didn't have any feelings for the boy, she had been flattered when he'd asked her to the ball and had agreed because she had no other offers but now he seemed to want to be by her side all the time and she was getting a little fed up of it. They had kissed on a few more occasions and she had still felt nothing for him, he was attractive enough but there was nothing about him which made her stomach flip like it did when she looked at Raulph. He was always around and did not seem to like it when she talked to her Durmstrang friend and so she had already decided that after the ball she would find a way to end whatever was going on between them, there was little point in being in a relationship she was not particularly enjoying but knew a few days before the ball would not be the best time to do it.

As she was thinking over this again the door opened and Raulph walked in with his friends, as predicted David slid a little closer to Lily when he noticed this and she sighed inwardly, she nodded towards her friend and he returned it but also spotted the look in her companion's eye so decided not to try and talk to her. They sat at the other end of the pub with three bottles of butterbeer and waited until it was time to ride their sleighs back to the school. As the professors in the corner rose from their seats all the students did so too and followed them out into the chill mid afternoon air, Lily took the opportunity to catch up with Raulph and ask him what he had ended up buying his mother but he quickly hid the bag and explained that it was just a simple sliver bracelet and she nodded. At the same time he glanced over at her three fellow students and noticed David glaring at him menacingly, "He doesn't like you talking to me does he?" he asked and she shook her head trying to hide the fact that it annoyed her but failing miserably, "But we're only friends," he added, "doesn't he get that?"

"I don't think so," she replied.

"Ride back up with us," he suggested but she shook her head, "go on Lily," he pleaded, "bring Lizzie along too, Peter will like it!" he added "Come on Potter, you don't have to be surgically attached to your boyfriend every minute of the day!" he goaded.

"He's not my boyfriend," she shrieked quietly hitting him on the arm.

"I think you ought to tell him that," he joked glancing over at the boy once more, "come on there's room for both of you in here," he indicated two spare seats in the sleigh he had his foot on the step of and she looked at it wistfully before turning back to look at Terry, Lizzie and David.

"I can't," she said and Raulph shrugged his shoulders at her dejectedly.

"See you back at school then," he said quite sullenly as he climbed into the sleigh and took a seat next to Sitric. Lily felt a little affronted by his response and turned around to walk back to her friends, they climbed into a sleigh a little further behind and when David sat close to her again and took her hand in his she felt like kicking herself for not taking Raulph up on his offer. He had looked quite hurt and annoyed when she had rejected him and as the reindeer like animals began to pull the travellers back up the mountain side she noticed the boys in the other sled laughing and joking and realised it would probably have been more fun if she had travelled with him. Looking out into the trees as they were enveloped by the forest Lily sighed as she realised that now they were not having lessons for the next two weeks and therefore she would probably see very little of Raulph until the new year as they would not have their usual Wednesday afternoons together something which she now counted down to. She also realised that if she attempted to seek him during their time off David probably would not react very well.

They reached the fortress quickly and once again David helped her down from the sleigh and escorted her back to the Hogwarts Express, she tried to flash a quick smile at Raulph as she passed him on the way but he did not return it even though she knew he had seen her and she returned to her dormitory with her purchases feeling much less spirited than she had when she had left it.


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: The next installment, please review!!**

Chapter 9 –The Yule Ball

"Melissa," the girls screamed when a tall, thin, red head appeared in their dormitory on Christmas Eve.

"Merry Christmas," she shrieked as they tumbled into her and became a tangle of six arms and legs, "oh I've missed you two so much!"

"We've missed you too!" they screamed in reply, "How's Stephanie?"

"Gutted," Mel replied her face dropping a little as she thought about the friend she had had to leave behind, "she was desperate to come too and I felt so awful having to leave her behind but she sent her best and hopes we all have a great time at the ball!" her face lit up again as she mentioned it but fell once more as she noticed a lack of excitement coming from Lily. "Aren't you excited?" she asked curiously and Lizzie rolled her eyes as they gestured for the girl to sit on the spare bed and they pulled up two chairs. Lizzie, interrupted occasionally by Lily's glares and swipes, told the story of Lily's infatuation with the handsome triwizard champion whom she had fancied for ages and not told them about and then went on to explain how she was now dreading the following night's ball as she would be surgically attached to David all night who seemed to be getting more and more possessive of her as each day passed. She had barely been out of his company since the day school broke up and she was now beginning to feel that he was her shadow, when the tale ended Melissa hugged her friend in sympathy but wanted to know more details about the handsome Durmstrang boy who had stolen her heart. Lizzie went on to tell the tales about their kiss and subsequent almost kiss and the described the looks Raulph gave Lily whenever they were within ten feet of each other and her friend agreed that he was definitely interested in her no matter how much Lily tried to persuade them that he was just a family friend.

"Well now I won't keep my mouth shut because it's two against one!" Lizzie shrieked and Lily pouted at them both before being dragged into a tight hug once more.

"How's Terry?" Mel asked.

"You haven't seen him yet?"

"No, I wanted to see my girls first," she said laughing.

"He misses you," Lily replied.

"Good! It's been hell back at Hogwarts without him!"

"Go and find him, he'll probably be in the common room," Lily suggested and the excited young girl bounced off her bed, gave them one more hug each and then darted from the room.

There was a feast in the great hall for Christmas Eve and Mel was ecstatic about being able to join them, she met David there who clamped himself to Lily's side as usual and she frowned at him throughout the whole meal. She slyly asked Lizzie to point out the mysterious Krum boy and as soon as she clapped eyes on him she gave Lily a big thumbs up causing the poor girl to blush to her roots. The feast was fun and it was late when they all retired to the Hogwart's Express, the new arrival marvelled at their temporary home and had to explore every part of it disappearing for a significant amount of time to the library with Terry, the girls looked at her knowingly as she returned but she did not become embarrassed at all. David looked at Terry jealously as he obviously wanted to spend time alone with Lily but she kept evading his suggestions and he was starting to feel that the pretty young girl was not as interested in him as he was in her.

Eventually they retired to their bedrooms and the three friends climbed the spiral stairs up to their dormitory, the other sixth year girls were still sitting in the girl's common room so when they reached the quiet bedroom they all changed quickly into pyjamas and jumped onto one bed, drawing the curtains around them.

"Enjoy the library?" Lizzie giggled at her friend.

Melissa nodded and replied, "Yes thank you!" and they all fell about laughing, "I've been waiting over a month to try that out!"

"Try what out," she asked curiously as they leaned forwards to look closely at their friend.

"Imperio," she replied and watched as their faces fell.

"What?" Lily asked with a shocked tone.

"Imperio, everyone's doing it back at school," she smiled with a twinkle in her eye.

"What do you mean?" Lizzie asked as Lily continued to look aghast, "It's illegal."

"I know, but it's not like that. You have to learn it in Defence lessons in sixth year-"

"We know that," Lily interrupted, "but only so you can learn how to throw it off."

"Yeah, but imagine being under it for a while, you know, with someone you trust, letting them make you do things." She looked excited about the prospect but the girls still looked totally shocked at her suggestion. "No one abuses it it's just...well how much trust do you have to have to allow someone to do it? It shows someone just how much you do trust them, because you know they won't actually make you do something you wouldn't normally do, but it helps to banish those inhibitions a bit. I've been writing to Terry about it and he felt like you did but eventually I managed to persuade him, he only got me to kiss him but he also made my hands travel around his body a bit, something I wanted to do but felt a bit, you know, naive about."

"But Mel, what if he'd made you do more than that, he could have...have done something really bad," Lily whispered.

"But I know he wouldn't Lily, I trust him, I just wanted him to help me, sort of guide me a little."

"So what was it like?" Lizzie asked a little too eagerly.

"Lizzie," Lily shrieked at her.

"Well, like she said if you trust the person implicitly then they are not going to do anything too...you know."

"It was strange, I mean I've been under before in Defence lessons but this time I wasn't trying to throw it, I just let it take me, I felt like I was troubleless, like I had no worries and this voice in my head was making all my decisions for me, I'd told Terry what I was a bit inhibited about but he knew I wanted to do it, he got me to kiss him and I thought 'why not?' I'll just do it but then he made me move my hands about and I don't know I just did it, I was aware of what I was doing but only vaguely, but now I can remember it and I know what to do, you know next time. I felt totally safe because I knew Terry wouldn't take it any further."

Lizzie was now looking quite interested but Lily was still adamant that it was wrong, "Mel, it's so dangerous even if it is Terry, you just don't know and if anyone ever found out he'd be sent to Azkaban."

"But they won't find out and they'd only send him if I pressed charges or something."

"You still shouldn't be doing it," Lily replied.

"Oh come on Lily, like you wouldn't let Raulph do it just once, to get that kiss you want?"

"No," she shrieked jumping out of the bed and climbing into her own, she had been disturbed by the whole conversation and could not imagine anyone wanting to do any thing like that not even her parents who trusted each other completely, it was wrong and she knew it.

The other two girls shrugged their shoulders but continued to talk excitedly about the experience that Mel had just had with Terry and they only stopped and went to sleep when the other sixth year girls came up to bed.

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Christmas morning dawned and Lily had forgotten about the conversation from the previous evening, they swapped presents and then headed to the common room where deliveries had turned up during the night. They spent a couple of hours ripping paper from gifts and looking over their new items before they were joined by David and Terry, Melissa loved the necklace that Terry had bought her and they disappeared to the library for a short while once more, Lily eyed them wearily as she remembered the conversation from the previous night and hoped that Mel wasn't allowing him to do it again. David sheepishly handed her a small package which contained a box of fancy chocolates and a small stuffed owl, she thanked him and handed over a small chess set which she had sent for by mail order at the last minute and he gave her a kiss which she returned but did not especially enjoy.

After a huge lunch of Turkey with all the trimmings all the students returned to their dormitories to get themselves ready for the evening's ball, there were hundreds of excited people using numerous bathrooms and mirrors and Lily was beginning to resent the fact that she was not looking forward to it as much as she had wanted to. Lizzie had broken things off with Francis a few days before the end of the school term and two days before she had plucked up the courage to ask Peter herself if he would go the ball with her. He had accepted but they had not actually seen each other since so she was becoming more and more nervous as the minutes ticked by as the last time she had been with him properly a large amount of firewhiskey had fuelled her passion. Mel was over the moon to be with Terry and was even more excited at the prospect of entering the ball on a champion's arm and Lily thought wistfully what it might have been like to walk into the great hall behind or in front of her on the arm of Raulph Krum. She sat at her dressing table and wondered who he would be attending with, he was a handsome and popular boy who would no doubt have had his pick of anyone, but she was starting to feel envious already of the faceless girl she was imagining him walking along with.

Eventually the clock in the dormitory showed half past seven and the three girls descended the stairs and walked over to the main common room where David and Terry were waiting, the latter's face fell when he saw his girlfriend in a figure hugging jet black silk dress which fell to her feet and was completely backless, she had her hair twisted round in a French knot with a few sleek tendrils hanging down and he was overwhelmed. Lily received a similar stare from David but she did not appreciate it as much as Melissa had, she smiled as he approached wearing dark blue dress robes and gave her a small white Lily which she pinned to the thin strap of her dress. The boys both commented on Lizzie who was wearing a blood red velvet dress which had a square neckline and a full length straight skirt with a split all the way up one leg. Peter was meeting her at the entrance to the hall so they all set off together, David took Lily's arm and she walked by his side all the way up to the castle. Peter was stood nervously to one side and his face lit up when he spotted his date looking sheepishly back at him, he stepped forward to offer her his arm and then said good evening to the rest of the gang.

Professor Nitschmann approached Terry and asked he and Melissa to join the other champions who were standing on the other side of the doorway, Lily glanced over and felt her heart hit her throat when she spotted Raulph standing next to a pretty girl with brown hair who was wearing a silver strapless dress which was ruched across the body and fell in layers of chiffon to her ankles. He was wearing jet black dress robes with a crisp white shirt and a black bow tie, his hair was as messy as always but he looked more handsome than she thought she had ever seen him. He noticed her staring at him and flashed her a quick smile before turning back to talk to the other champion, Genevieve, who was accompanied by another Beauxbaton student in pale blue robes. Lily felt a hand slide into hers and she realised David had seen her staring at Raulph, she flashed him a brief smile and then suggested that they make their way into the hall.

The room had been transformed into a winter wonderland, ice sculptures surrounded a pristinely white wooden dancefloor which stood in front of a stage where a set had been put up. Around the dancefloor were separate round tables each donned with a white table cloth and set for eight people, glitter had been thrown onto all the tables and it shimmered in a multitude of different colours. The Christmas tree, which had been placed behind the stage, reached to the ceiling and had been decorated completely in white strings of beads and crystal baubles, there were chandeliers hanging from the ceiling bearing hundreds of candles which flickered and cast a shimmering glow on the whole room. Many students had already taken their seats and the rest were hurried along as the doors were closed in preparation for the champions' entrance.

David pulled out a seat for Lily and she sat down in it allowing him to push her in before he took his own seat next to her, a fanfare sounded and the double doors opened to reveal the three champions accompanied by their respective dates who took to the dancefloor as the band began to play. Lily watched as Raulph twirled the lithe young girl around in his arms and she longed to be her, she had not spoken to him since the day they had visited Lisleberg and if nothing else she was missing his company. The girl looked happy to be in the arms of such a handsome young man and allowed him to spin her around as the band changed their pace and started a new song, other couples took to the floor including Lizzie and Peter who were sat at another table and eventually David stood up and offered Lily his hand. She took it and they spent half an hour dancing before dinner was announced, throughout the meal Lily kept glancing over at her friend Lizzie who was seated at the same table as Raulph, she noticed him talking animatedly to the girl who had agreed to be his date and once more sighed wistfully before remembering that she had her own date to placate.

After a sumptuous meal the band began to play more up to date music and then a popular wizarding band known as The Wizards took to the stage and the students were able to partake in a less formal atmosphere, Lily was enjoying herself despite David being welded to her side as usual but was longing for a short break away from him. Eventually he disappeared to the toilet and she took the opportunity to sit with Lizzie who was taking a break while Peter got them both a drink, "Having fun?" she asked and her friend nodded enthusiastically at her.

"You?" she returned and Lily shrugged her shoulders.

"She's not a real date you know."

"What?" Lily asked with a confused expression.

"That girl," she nodded towards Raulph and the girl he was still dancing with.

"Oh," she said trying to sound nonchalant.

"She's an old friend from home, she doesn't go to school anymore, left last year and she has a boyfriend who is apparently his cousin! According to Peter, he didn't want to ask anyone at school because the only person he was interested in was taken," she lifted her eyebrow at Lily who tried to continue looking like she was not interested. "They've been friends since they were five and she's only here for the night."

"Right," Lily replied.

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"Who is it you are pining for?" the girl asked as he swung her around half heartedly.

"What?" he replied as if he had misunderstood the question.

"The girl?" she added.

"I don't know what you mean," he answered trying to look serious.

"Raulph Krum I know you better than you think I do, you could have had the pick of any girl in this school to go to the ball with and instead you ask Brin if he would mind if you ask me to go as your friend. You cannot possibly tell me there isn't a girl here somewhere that you would rather be with," she looked down into his eyes and smiled as he returned a slightly downhearted one.

"Over at our table in the green dress," he replied nodding at Lily who was deep in conversation with Lizzie at their table. When she had turned up on the Hogwart's boy's arm in the beautiful emerald dress which nipped in around her slender waist and fell gracefully to the floor, he had been gutted, absolutely beside himself that she wasn't on his arm instead. She looked simply amazing and he knew then and ther that he had made the right choice in asking Lotte to come up to school for the ball, there was no one else in the world he wanted to go with other than Lily Potter and as he couldn't ask her he had decided that his best and oldest friend would be the next best thing. He couldn't bear the thought of asking anyone else to go and had so far spent most of the night casting sly glances at Lily's table and admiring the way her dress hugged her thin, curvy body.

"So how come she's not on your arm instead of me?" Lotte asked interrupting his thoughts.

"I waited too long," he added and then again nodded towards their table where Lotte noticed Lily's date approaching.

"Doesn't look like she's too happy to be with him if you ask me," she commented noticing the less than pleased look which crossed Lily's face.

"It doesn't really matter, she's taken and I'm too late," he said and then he whisked Lotte away from that side of the dance floor so he wouldn't have to torture himself any longer.

It was an hour or so later when Lotte excused herself to talk to some old friends who were still at school and Raulph decided to take a short walk out of the hall to clear his head. He had enjoyed spending the night with his old friend but had also been slightly disappointed that he had not been able to spin the most beautiful girl in the school around in his arms. He had been tempted to ask her for a dance but the way the Hogwart's boy she was with had attached himself to her side he had figured it would not be a good idea. It was now close to midnight and he felt that he needed a little fresh air and some time alone to wallow in his thoughts of Lily Potter, the girl he had waited too long for.

Raulph walked slowly along beneath the covered walkway which ran on the inside of the courtyard, he noticed a few couples kissing in some of the shadowy corners and quietly envied them, after a few minutes he began to feel a chill and decided to enter the corridors through one of the doorways, they were all deserted and he enjoyed the peace and quiet for a few moments. He had not been inside long when he heard a familiar voice whispering, "Please leave me alone," Raulph sped up and rounded the nearest corner where he found Rick Branton pinioning Lily against the wall and leaning so close to her that they were almost touching. "Get away from me," he heard Lily sob and something rose up inside of him which made him rush forwards and push the evil boy away from her.

"I've told you before, Branton, stay away from her," he yelled.

"Or what?" the angry boy spat back at him as he recovered quickly from the knock which had sent him off balance.

"Or you'll have me to deal with," he replied as he put a protective arm around Lily catching the soft, cool skin which was exposed on her back and making her catch her breath.

"Oh, I'm so scared," he replied as he squared up to Raulph. Then he began to cackle and leaned close to his ear to whisper, "You can keep her mate, she's frigid anyway!" Letting go of her quickly Raulph raised his fist and aimed it forcefully at an unsuspecting Rick who groaned as his hand came into contact with his nose and a sickening crack echoed down the corridor. The bully moaned deeply and grabbed hold of his nose which began to bleed immediately, Raulph stepped back making sure Lily was tucked away behind him as Rick squared up to him, "You'll pay for this," he mumbled behind his hands.

"Yeah I'm scared," Raulph yelled and then the boy looked at him menacingly before turning on his heel and heading back down the corridor away from the two of them.

"Thank you," Lily whispered breathlessly when he had disappeared from sight, as if he had forgotten that she was there Raulph turned back to her looking a little startled.

"What are you doing out here on your own?" he asked in a commanding voice.

"I needed some space, she replied quietly, "I wanted to be alone," she added looking at the floor.

"Where's your date?" he asked almost reluctantly.

"In the hall," she replied.

"We should get you back to him in there," he added putting a hand on the small of her back and trying to guide her in the direction of the great hall."

"No," she said forcefully, "I don't want to go back in there."

"Shall I go and find him then?" he asked. "You shouldn't be alone out here with morons like Rick around, it's not safe."

"No," she replied looking down at her feet. "I...I just broke things off with David," she muttered quietly, "I...I don't want to see him now."

"Oh," Raulph replied looking at her curiously, "how come?"

"I just...he wasn't right...I just didn't like him that much," she stuttered and looked up at him through sad eyes. His heart melted as he gazed down at her, she looked lonely and vulnerable and he longed to console her.

Lily had begun to shiver but she had not noticed it herself, "You're freezing," Raulph said putting his hands on her arms and rubbing them vigorously.

"I'm alright," she said through chattering teeth.

"Let me take you back inside," he pleaded but she shook her head once more.

"I can't," she replied, "Not yet, He'll be looking for me, he...well didn't take it very well."

"Oh! Well let's at least get out of this draughty corridor," he suggested, "here take this," he went on taking his cloak from around his shoulders and wrapping it around hers, "come on!" He took hold of her hand and began to lead her along the corridor and out into the courtyard. Lily had felt the jolt of electricity that he always sent through her body the moment his hand had touched hers and she shivered once more but not from the cold this time. He pulled her quickly across the courtyard and over the drawbridge and then turned left past the Beauxbaton's carriage and over to a large building she had seen but not explored before.

"Where are we?" she asked curiously when they stopped by a ten foot high wooden door.

"The coach house," he replied pushing the door open, "well sleigh house really as we don't have coaches," he chuckled tugging her gently into the enormous stone building. It was pitch black inside but Lily felt completely safe with Raulph, he drew his wand out of his pocket and whispered, "Lumos," the end lit up casting a green glow over the coach house, Lily could see the row of white sleighs which had taken them into the village the previous Saturday, under the glow of Raulph's wand they looked magical as they glistened in the green shimmer. "Come on," he urged tugging her hand once more and leading her along the row of sleighs, as they approached each one it came into the green glow and then disappeared behind them.

"How many are there?" she asked.

"About fifty," he replied, "we use them to get up here from the village on the first day of school, but further up here are the older ones some of which are, aha!" he said as the green glow cast its light over a couple of magnificent looking sleighs. They had an antique look to them and unlike the ones they had used at the weekend, these sleighs were like small carriages with doors and small windows. They were faded white and were edged in gold swirly carvings each one had a seat at the front which was exposed for the driver to sit on and another at the back probably for a servant or someone to use.

"These are beautiful," Lily whispered in awe.

"Jump inside," Raulph said as he let go of her hand and opened the door of the sleigh directly in front of him, as it opened a small wrought iron step appeared and fell gently down stopping at the perfect height for climbing in. Raulph held out his hand for her and she took it as she climbed inside, it was pitch black and she could only just make out two long bench seats facing each other. She sat down on one as Raulph climbed in behind her and closed the door, he pointed his wand at a bracket above the seat she was sitting on and a candle suddenly lit up the whole carriage. Lily gasped as the inside came into sight, she was sat on a worn red velvet cushioned seat which was trimmed in gold brocade, the walls were covered in faded silk damask which had a paisley type patterns printed within it, the bracket holding the candle was wrought iron with gold gilt on it and was encrusted around the candle holder with sparkling jewels. Another bracket held a second candle above the opposite seat which Raulph had sat down upon and he turned around to light it, Lily continued to gaze around and saw heavy red drapes pulled back with gold woven tie backs at each of the windows. With a flick of his wand Raulph released them and they fell across meeting in the centre of the door and enclosing them inside the beautiful cocoon, "There," he said, "he won't find you in here!" Lily giggled and mouthed a thank you at him before turning back to gaze at the wonderful interior.

"This is amazing," she said breathlessly, she had not yet really realised that she had just left the ball and come to the opposite end of the school with Raulph where no one would think to look for her and it was another minute before she actually did and then she turned to look at him. He was watching her with a soft smile on his face and was longing to reach over and touch her, kiss her and disappear into her beauty but he knew she had just broken up with her date and he was still not sure if she felt the same way about him as he did about her. "Won't er..." she didn't know the name of his date, "sorry, your date be missing you?" she whispered.

"Lotte? No, she's not a date."

"Oh!"

"She's an old friend, a very old friend my Mum is friends with her Dad, a bit like Dad and Fleur are, I've known her since I was about five, we grew up together and I look at her like I do Victoire and Dominique she's actually going out with my cousin Brin at the moment."

"But you asked her to come to the ball?" Lily asked curiously.

"Yes," he began to chuckle, "Brin knows were good friends and I actually asked him first, I knew he wouldn't mind and he also knew Lotte would probably enjoy catching up with some of her friends who are still here, she's only a year older then me she left in July."

"But why ask someone from home? I mean you could have had your pick of girls here," she began to blush a little but the candle light hid it well.

"There was no one I wanted to ask," he coughed uncomfortably.

"Oh," she said quietly.

"Well I mean there was no one free," he looked at her shyly, "and as a champion I couldn't go alone because I knew I had to start the dancing so I decided Lotte would be the best person."

"Surely there must have been someone here that you wanted to go with."

"Lots of the Durmstrang girls were hanging around me all the time wanting me to ask them so they could be seen with the champion but the school girls here are so silly and childish, I didn't want to take any of them," he tried to explain.

"I see," she said trying not to look offended by the fact that he had said school girls were childish. "Maybe we should go back," she continued rising from the seat.

"No, wait," he said quite forcefully realising that his comment could have been taken the wrong way, how long was he going to skirt around this? He needed to tell her how he felt and he needed to do it now. She looked at him and he stood up slowly so he could sit beside her on the velvet seat, he noticed that she was shivering again and he moved closer so he could place an arm around her. "I didn't mean that all the girls were childish and silly, just a lot of them are, but not you...you're not silly or...or childish you're...mature and..." he wanted to say beautiful and warm and kind, why did he always get so tongue tied when he was trying to talk to her like this, as soon as he tried to say that he wanted to kiss her and go on a date with her and just sit holding her hand even he turned into a jabbering wreck.

"And?" she whispered looking up into his eyes through her own deep brown orbs, she felt him tighten his grip around her but she was unable to stop shivering.

"And...I'm...I'm sorry Lily," he said breathlessly unable to speak coherent words, all he wanted to do was kiss this pretty brown eyed and dark haired girl who didn't seem to be resisting his hold on her, a hold which was getting tighter and tighter the more he looked at her.

"Sorry?" she asked, "For what?"

"For this," he said and then slowly and tentatively he leaned forwards and placed his full soft lips on top of hers, he heard her gasp softly but her own lips began to mirror his as she allowed him to kiss her. His arms wrapped further around her thin curvy waist and he pulled her into him as her own small hands moved onto his waist and then around his back so that she too was holding him as tightly as he held her. The kiss deepened and Raulph felt her tongue slide into his mouth and begin to dance around with his own, he felt the electricity shoot up and down his body as the kiss lengthened and his heart began to melt as he realised just how long he had been waiting for this moment. He couldn't get himself any closer to this woman who he wanted to lose himself in, he was holding her so tightly that he could hear her shallow breaths and finally had to release her, they parted slowly as his hands came up to the sides of her face and he kissed her gently pulling his lips away slowly and then opening his eyes to look down into hers. They fluttered open slowly and looked back at him with the same feeling he had in his own he noticed that she was still shaking and he pulled back to look at her, "Are you still cold?" he whispered his hands on her arms but she shook her head slowly at him, "then why are you shaking?"

"Because of you," she whispered sounding out of breath, "but why are you sorry?"

"I...I didn't know if you wanted me to..." he coughed but still did not let go of her, "after last time I thought you didn't want me...that you didn't like me in that way." His eyes darted away from hers then afraid that she would reject him again.

"Raulph, I thought you only kissed me because you felt sorry for me."

"No," he said quite vehemently gripping her arms tighter and then releasing them when he saw her wince slightly, "No, back then I...I looked at you and I knew you were vulnerable and I shouldn't have done it like that but you looked so beautiful, I mean I had always thought you were a pretty girl but I had never looked at you that way before, but in that moment when I gazed into your eyes I realised you weren't just a pretty girl, you were a beautiful and amazing woman and I couldn't help myself. When you ran away I realised I had offended you, I thought I had done the wrong thing and I tried to forget about it thinking you only wanted to see me as a friend, but ever since that first kiss I've been able to think of nothing else but doing it again."

"But why haven't you said anything?" she asked.

"Because every time I tried to I got all tongue tied and acted like a complete moron, it was only when we had drunk all that firewhiskey on your birthday that I was able to say how I really felt but then we were disturbed and I couldn't quite remember what I'd said to you. Then I thought you might think it was all the drink talking and again I tried to talk to you when I walked you back to the train that day but my mouth just wouldn't work properly and I couldn't tell if you wanted me to...or..." He looked helplessly at her and she suppressed a little giggle as she noticed that he resembled a scared puppy dog. "I had made the decision to ask you to the ball and be shot down in flames if I needed to be on the day I saw you with David but then he asked you about the arrangements for the ball and I realised it was too late and I couldn't ask you so I asked Lotte. I didn't want to be there with anyone else so..." she smiled at him and he asked, "have I done the wrong thing?"

"What?" she returned with a puzzled expression.

"Kissing you? You returned it but was it what you wanted?"

Instead of answering him with words Lily took his hands in hers and then leaned up to kiss him back, his eyes stayed wide open for a moment in shock but then he closed them and began to return the kiss that she had this time initiated, a kiss which once more sent shivers through his whole body as his arms enfolded her once more and her hands began to run up his back and into his hair making him shudder with delight as he relaxed and realised just how much he had been longing to do this. He had never experienced anything like it before, he had kissed other girls, had even gone all the way with some of them but he had never felt this kind of connection with them like he was somehow linked to her without them having to kiss or touch or in fact ever do anything else. It had always been pleasant and pleasurable in many cases but this was different, he felt at ease like he didn't want to go away from Lily Potter, with other girls he had been on dates and spent the night with them, or in some cases a fumbled hour in a hidden away part of the school, but he had always been eager to get back to his friends afterwards, to go back to the common room or go home and be by himself without the girl. Being with Lily was completely different, he felt like he wanted to stay with her all the time, like he would be eternally happy if they were the only two people left in the world. He had found himself counting the days every week until Wednesday when he would get to be alone with her for a few short hours and he was always downhearted when he had to leave and go to his final lesson knowing it would be another week before he would be so near to her again.

The kiss went on longer this time and when they finally parted Raulph realised that he was now laid on top of Lily who had her back on the velvet seat and her head in his hand. Her arms were wrapped around him and had reached inside his shirt to touch his bare back with her finger nails, his weight was propped on one elbow and his other hand was at her waist sliding up and down the curves of her body. Their legs were twisted together and she had one foot up on the seat so her knee was in the air and the other stretched out with both of his, he realised that he was pressing against her and knew that he had been somewhat aroused by the kiss. He lifted his head and looked into her eyes which once more fluttered open as he pulled away from her. Lily's hands slid down and one rested on his waist while the other moved around to touch his chest she felt his heartbeat pounding at a heightened speed and realised that it was echoing her own, "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"Why this time?" she replied looking confused.

"For this," he said indicating the position in which they were now laid, "I don't want you to think I am pushing you into anything, I don't know how this happened," he looked guiltily at her and she giggled a little.

"It happened because we both wanted it to," she replied looking at him demurely through twinkling eyes. "Raulph, I trust you completely, you are not going to force me into anything I don't want to do, I know that after the length of time it has taken us to get this far. I would even trust you to use imperio on me."

"What?" he said sitting up a little and looking at her with a mixture of confusion and outrage. "I wouldn't ever, I'm not..."

"I know Raulph," she said reaching up to put her hands round his neck and pull him back down so his chest touched hers again, he allowed her to do it but continued to look at her with the same face, "Mel, you know Terry's girlfriend, she told us about it yesterday apparently everyone is doing it back at Hogwarts, well people in a relationship anyway, it's supposed to let them know how much you trust them. I felt like you obviously do about it and I told Mel she was stupid and that it was dangerous but she kept going on about how wonderful it is to have that much faith in someone and how it just shows them that you do. I don't think they ever do anything too, you know, but she said it lowers her inhibitions a little, I still thought it was dangerous and I said I would never do it but all I meant then was that I can see now what she meant about trusting someone so much, I only mean that's how much I feel I could trust you." She smiled back up at him then and the look on his face changed to one which showed understanding. "I never imagined I would have that much trust in someone, at least not until I was older but I just left the ball and the safety of being around everyone and let you lead me off to a secluded building where no one knows we are."

"I didn't mean to drag you away or anything," he tried to protest.

"You didn't," she replied soothingly, "there is no where else I would rather be," she added with a twinkle in her eye, "Raulph."

"Hmmm," he breathed knowing there was nowhere else in the world he would rather be either.

"Kiss me," and he obliged slowly lowering his head until their lips met again and he heard Lily groan softly under his touch, he longed to explore her slender body and feel the curve of it in his hands but he didn't want to push the young girl who he knew was much less experienced than he was. However as the thought entered his head it was as though she had it too because her hands slid up the front of his dress shirt and she began to stroke his chest softly weaving her hands around his nipples and groaning seductively. He felt his arousal growing and he knew it was pressing hard into Lily's leg but she was not afraid or scared by it as he felt her turn him slightly so he was between her legs, the full skirt she wore allowed both her knees to come up on either side of him and although there was material between them both he felt Lily arch her back and begin to rub herself slowly and sensuously against him.

They continued kissing and he ran his hands down the soft satin of her dress feeling the contours of her body, he could tell that she was wearing very little underneath it and this only added to his throbbing desire for her. For a second she stopped kissing him and looked up into his eyes, he noticed a little apprehension in them and he was about to ask if she wanted to stop when Lily took his hand and tentatively moved it to the strap of her dress and continued to look deep into his eyes through excited and apprehensive ones. She had stopped sliding her body up and down beneath him but with his hand in hers she peeled down the straps of the dress and lifted her body up slightly so he could reach round and unzip the top, "Lily," he whispered hesitating momentarily, "are you sure about this? I don't want to push you into anything."

"You're not," she replied, "I know you are more experienced than me and I don't want to displease you."

"Lily, you would never displease me, I may have had more sexual experience but I have never felt like this about anyone before, I would be happy just kissing you, I don't want you to do anything that you might regret."

"I won't," she replied reaching her hands up to unfasten the shirt he was wearing, "I'm not sure how far I want to go but..."

"Then we should stop," he answered moving his hand away from the zip which was now halfway down so that the dress was falling away from her front and almost revealing her breasts, "I want you Lily, but not if you don't want it, I'm not pushing you into anything."

"I know, and you're not," she whispered still unfastening the buttons to reveal his strong masculine chest, she gasped as she began to explore it with her hands, "I feel so comfortable with you Raulph, I want to do more than just kiss you but I don't want to be a tease either."

"You are not a tease Lily, I would wait as long as you wanted to, I didn't bring you in here for this."

"But I want to do this, I want to do more than kiss you, I feel like I've been waiting for this. A few hours ago I would have been satisfied with that first kiss but now that it's happened I have all these feelings inside of me that I want to explore, now," she whispered and then she took her hands form his chest and peeled the front of the dress away from her body to reveal her soft creamy skin and pert little breasts, she smiled as Raulph stared down at her still too hesitant to touch her but he could not tear his eyes away from her either. Her nipples were on end and looked like tiny buds on the end of her creamy breasts, she took his hand which had moved back to her side and placed it tenderly over one of them, as it touched her flesh Raulph groaned and Lily felt him stiffen even more between her legs, she was aroused and excited and desperate to be satisfied in some way, but she did not know how, she was nervous and now envied her friend who had been brave enough to allow her boyfriend to use an unforgivable curse to lower her inhibitions. She didn't want to disappoint Raulph but she was bitterly aware of the fact that she didn't really know what she was doing.

He began to massage her breast and touched the end of her nipple causing her to gasp as a new wave of excitement ran through her body, she began to arch her back again and rub herself against Raulph's hard member which she could feel throbbing between her legs, they began to kiss again as he continued to caress her breast and he heard her breathing begin to quicken as her rubbing became faster and faster. Lily was thrusting her tongue into Raulph's mouth and had moved her hands to the small of his back as if she was trying to grip on for dear life, her movements became swifter and swifter and Raulph began to feel his own excitement quickening within him. He could feel her getting close to explosion and as she pushed herself up against him stopping the rhythmic motion she groaned softly and he gripped her tightly wrapping his arms around her so he was almost squeezing the breath out of her and he felt her seem to convulse slightly and then relax in his arms. Her breath was ragged and her eyes were closed, slowly he released her from the tight grip and laid her back on the velvet seat looking down at her face and raining soft kisses all around it, she smiled and made soft moaning noises which made him smile too. Whenever he had been intimate with a girl it had always been quick and to fulfil both their needs but this time had been different, he had enjoyed the way Lily had taken control and been able to send herself to new heights while gripping onto him.

He did not care that he had not had any sexual fulfilment from it, he had enjoyed the fact that he was with Lily Potter and been engrossed in how much she had wanted to do. He pulled the green satin dress back over her chest and looked down at the beautiful girl whose hair was now tousled and messy, falling from the twist she had styled it in for the ball, she looked angelic and satisfied and he suddenly felt a deep sense of something for this girl. He didn't think it was love, not yet but it was more than lust, looking at her soft contented face as her breathing returned to normal he realised that he could very easily fall in love with Lily Potter and knew it would not be very far off. Her eyelids fluttered open and she looked sheepishly at him with a soft grin on her face, "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"For what?" he replied with a puzzled expression.

"What about you?" she answered slyly glancing down her body where she could still feel him pressing against her , "I...I have...and you..." she looked uncomfortable and he silenced her with a soft kiss. When they broke apart she continued, "I don't want to go too far, not yet but I feel that...that it was about me and...and not you, I don't really know how to..." he smiled at her serenely and kissed her on the end of the nose he then breathed on her face softly and whispered to her.

"I don't care, I will wait as long as you want to, I am just as happy being here with you, I don't need anything more."

"But-"

"Shhh," he whispered dropping one more kiss on her lips. She was about to argue again when they heard a clattering sound outside and they both froze, it came from further down the building but they both sat up immediately and Raulph extinguished the candle light plunging them in to total darkness as Lily fiddled with the zip on her dress and hurriedly pulled her straps back up.

"Who is it?" she whispered betraying her fear with a quaver in her voice, she was well aware that if she was caught doing anything like this she would be sent home in disgrace.

"Don't worry," Raulph replied edging to the window and flicking the curtain back with his wand, an extremely faint light filtered through the gap and they both heard the large wooden door of the coaching house close behind someone, "they've gone," he whispered pulling Lily back into his arms, she leant against his chest and let him wrap his safe strong arms around her. He gently kissed the top of her head and said, "Are you alright?"

"Aha," she nodded.

"Are you sure?" he went on, "You don't regret anything do you?"

"No," she returned pulling back slightly out of his grip and lifting her head in search of his lips. They shared one more long sensuous kiss before he suggested that they should get back out to the party. They were both reluctant but agreed it would be the most sensible thing to do, they didn't actually know how long they had been missing and it was likely that Lily's friends would be starting to worry.

She sighed as she stepped out of the beautiful sleigh and Raulph closed the door behind her, she gave it one last look before they set off towards the great hall, he took her hand in his and they walked side by side, she was wearing his cloak again but did not feel the cold as she thought back on the wonderful time she had just had with this man. When they reached the door he took her waist and gave her one more kiss and as they broke apart he whispered, "Will you see me tomorrow?" he was desperate not to have to let her go but he knew she would need to return to the train for the night and he to his dormitory and that as soon as they were back in the great hall they would be accosted by their own friends.

"Yes," she replied, her arms had wrapped around his neck and she felt as if he was holding her up, "when?" she too was eager to spend more time alone with him.

"As soon as possible I hope," he whispered and she giggled at him shyly.

"Mel is here until lunchtime so I should spend some time with her in the morning, what about after lunch?"

"I don't know if I can wait that long," he moaned in a joking voice, "I don't want to let you go."

"Neither do I," she returned breathlessly and they found themselves standing in the shadows of the coaching house doorway for another twenty minutes as they kissed each other longingly allowing their hands to travel over their clothes where they had been mere moments before. Eventually they broke apart long enough for Raulph to suggest that they rejoin everyone before a search party was sent out and they reluctantly left the coaching house and walked hand in hand back over the drawbridge and across the courtyard. Many other couples were dotted across the grassy square in the centre of the fortress, some holding hands and walking, some kissing in secluded corners and Raulph did not let go of her hand all the way across it. As they reached the entrance to the great hall he pulled her to one side and said, "Are you okay with this?"

"With what?" she asked in confusion.

"This," he repeated holding up their entwined hands, "if you want us to go in separately that's fine with me," he added looking like he never wanted to let her hand go again.

"Raulph it's fine," she replied smiling at him, "will you dance with me?"

"I'd like nothing more," he said as he pulled her gently to the doorway and walked into the room still gripping tightly to her hand, Lizzie and Mel both noticed their entrance and smiled gleefully when they saw who she was with, David, who was sat by himself at their table also noticed and his expression became mutinous as he watched Krum lead her straight to the dance floor where he took Lily in his arms and proceeded to dance with her until the small hours of the morning when most of the students had retired to their bed.

He walked her to the train slightly ahead of Lizzie and Peter and Melissa and Terry, they reached the doorway to the girl's carriage and he kissed her swiftly on the lips and then raised her hand to kiss it too before bidding her goodnight and adding, "Until tomorrow," Lily blushed and nodded her head as he turned to walk away with Peter who had given Lizzie his own goodnight kiss.

The two girls stood in the doorway and watched them until they were back across the drawbridge and out of sight before the blonde one turned to the darker haired girl and gushed, "I want to know everything!" and then in a fit of girlish giggles they disappeared through the door and up to their dormitory where they did not sleep a wink all night as the two of them and Mel cosied up in her bunk with the curtains closed and Lily told most of the story to her two best friends.


	10. Chapter 10

**please please please review, please please please!!**

Chapter 10 – Defence lesson homework

"Raulph, we're supposed to be studying," Lily chided with a cheeky smile on her face as she looked up at the handsome young man who was playfully kissing her neck from behind and placing his arms around her. They were sat on the floor in one of the smaller common rooms after their weekly care of magical creatures lesson, Lily had a multitude of books out in front of her and was cross referencing information on a new creature they had been introduced to an hour earlier. Since the Christmas holidays they had taken to frequenting the smaller common rooms on Wednesday afternoons in the hopes of being alone as they were less commonly used. Since the night of the ball Lily and Raulph had seen each other almost every day but it was much harder to be alone now that they were in term time, they were both reluctant for Lily to break her curfew and risk being sent back to Hogwarts and there were no secluded and unoccupied places like the coaching house where they could be together. They had done little more than kiss since that night although Lily had tried to take Raulph to a quiet hidden corner around the back of the coaching house one afternoon but he had told her that she was too good for a quick fumble behind the bike sheds, if he couldn't be with her in a comfortable place then he would wait, she was worth waiting for.

They had not broached the subject of sex at all, the morning after the ball there had been a little shy awkwardness between them for a moment but they had been adult about the situation and explained their feelings to each other. Lily had found it a magical and pleasurable experience and had apologised profusely that it had not been as fulfilling for him but he had argued her down saying he had never experienced such a night before and he had been fulfilled in more ways than one even if they were not sexual. Raulph Krum had been happy to be with the girl of his dreams and had spent many nights in bed since then remembering the way she had pleasured herself against him and realising what an erotic experience it had been for him.

It had now been over a month since school had started again and Raulph's second task was approaching, "Have you figured out your clue for the next task yet?" she asked sighing softly as he continued to kiss up and down her neck making her shiver with delight.

"I...haven't...even...opened...it...yet," he said between intermittent kisses.

"Raulph," she chided again, "you need to be ready."

"I can think of much better things that I'm ready for," he replied as he laid out face upwards on the carpet beside her. He looked up into her face which was framed by her long dark locks and smiled wondering to himself how he had ever found himself such a beautiful woman.

"Stop it," she said lustily while smiling back at him and reaching one arm over him so he was between them both, her hair fell onto his face and he moaned softly before reaching up with his hands and curling it around them, he then slowly and without pulling began to tug on it gently so that she brought her head down to his and their lips met in another spine tingling kiss. No matter how many times he kissed this girl his reaction never changed, she made his heart soar and his stomach flip as soon as her soft luscious lips touched his own. He released Lily's hair and wound his arms around her back pulling her close to him so her chest was against his and her own hands began to reach up into his thick sandy locks.

The sound of the door opening made them jump and Lily sat up swiftly ending the kiss but still keeping one arm on either side of him, "Come on, work!" she said masterfully but smiling to show him how much she had hated being interrupted too. A couple of cold looking students had disturbed them and they looked a little embarrassed as they took seats near the window, Lily and Raulph were both annoyed at their interruption but they also knew that the common room was not solely theirs so they returned to their work managing to complete their homework within an hour.

"So what about the clue then?" Lily asked when she had packed all of their books away and was leaning back against Raulph's chest, he had his back against a chair leg and had wrapped his arms around her as they gazed in to the fire. The frightened looking students had disappeared a few moments earlier and the two of them were enjoying another rare moment alone, he kissed her neck and the side of her face as she talked and she stroked his hands where she had closed her own over his.

"Not now," he moaned.

"But you haven't got long left," she chided sitting forwards and turning to face him, "look there's another hour before your last lesson, go and get it and we'll see what we can figure out."

"Do I have to?" he moaned grinning at her.

"Yes," she replied staring at him and placing her hands on her hips, something she had seen both her mother and her grandmother do a lot when they wanted her father or grandfather to do something.

"Alright," he said taking her hands first and leaning in to kiss her, then he stood up and sighed, "I'll be back in a minute." He headed towards the door but stopped as he opened it and turned back to look at her, "Why don't you come with me and we can look at it in my dorm?"

"Am I allowed?" she replied looking a little shocked at the suggestion.

"Well I know we can't get into the girls' dormitories but I know some of the girls have been in ours. It's the middle of the day, what harm can it do?" he asked smiling sweetly at her and imagining seeing the beautiful girl on his bed. "Lotte used to come up when she was at aschool so it should be alright," he added so she nodded at him and picked up the heavy bag of books before walking over to the door where he took her hand and led her out of the common room,

They walked along to the south tower where the male dormitories were, Raulph led her up a spiral stone staircase which ran through the centre of the tower and was lit only by intermittent torches hanging in brackets on the wall. They climbed seven storeys up until they were on the top floor where they came out onto a square landing which had four doors leading off it, one on each wall. Raulph tugged her forwards to the nearest door and opened it to reveal a long room which housed eight large four poster beds all hung with heavy black drapes edged in gold brocade. There were four beds along each of the two side walls and between each bed was a large chest of drawers. At the far end of the room a heavy oak door led off into what she assumed must be a bathroom and there was a long wardrobe which ran from this door over to a window. There were other windows along one of the walls between each of the beds, the usual tall thin slits which were a trademark of Durmstrang and in the centre of the room wasa brazier which gave off a warm glow, "Over here," Raulph said taking her down the centre of the room to the third bed on the left, where she sat down while he started to rummage through his drawers.

Lily leant back on her elbows and sighed while Raulph continued to sift through the drawers which seemed to be filled well beyond their capacity, eventually he pulled out the rock he had claimed at the top of the mountain during the first task, dropping down on the bed beside her he handed it over and then loked at her with a strange expression on his face, "What?" she asked taking the rock and noticing his visage.

"Nothing," he replied smiling, "it's just that I've never had a girl on my bed in here before! Well apart from Lotte but she's not a girl like you are!" he joked lifting one eyebrow and smiling. "I mean I've thought about having a girl in my bed but it's strange seeing you actually on it."

"Oh really?" she whispered breathlessly, "And what exactly is it that you've thought about when you think of girls in your bed?" she continued laying down on her side and looking up at him demurely through fluttering eyelashes.

Raulph could feel something rising inside of him as he watched her begin to trace circles on the the heavy woollen bedspread with her fingertips, "Now that would be telling," he replied, "some secrets have to be kept!"

"But how can I help you live out one of those fantasies if you don't tell me about them?" she went on pouting her lips and looking like a hurt young child.

"Fantasies? Who told you they were fantasies?"

"Oh come on," she replied teasingly lowering her head and looking up through her lashes with a pert smile on her face, "you've thought about girls on your bed and they haven't been fantasies?"

"I don't know what you-"

He stopped talking as she slowly knelt up on her knees and whispered into his ear in a seductive voice, "Tell me what you were thinking," and then she moved back again, bringing one knee up onto the bed and leaning back on her hands so she could look up at him again through her eyelashes.

"Well let's just say she wasn't only sitting on it," he replied.

"Was she doing this?" Lily asked still staring seductively and sliding off the cloak she was wearing before beginning to slowly unbutton her school shirt from the top peeling it to the side slowly without ever taking her eyes from his face.

When she had opened it enough to reveal the white lacy bra that she wore beneath it Raulph whispered, "What are you doing? Someone could walk in at any moment."

"I know," she replied with a cheeky grin unfastening the last couple of buttons and letting both sides of the shirt fall to reveal her creamy flat stomach, she slid it off her shoulders and took her arms out of it.

"Lily," Raulph whispered with wide eyes, they had not been alone anywhere long enough for him to see her body again since the night of the ball and though he was enjoying it thoroughly he was also aware that one of his room mates could burst through the door at any second.

"Shhh," she whispered propping herself on one elbow and touching his lips with the finger of her other hand, she left it there for a second and he kissed it softly before she withdrew it to reach around her back and unhook the bra she was wearing, Raulph's eyes grew even wider at her boldness and he leaned over to hide her from view should the door open.

"This is dangerous," he murmured leaning over to stop the straps of the bra falling down and revealing a part of her he knew he would get lost in if he saw it again as his fingers touched her skin she shuddered seductively and Raulph enjoyed the effect he could have on her just with one small touch.

"No, it's exciting," she replied taking his hands from her arms forcefully and shaking her body gently so the bra fell away and revealed her soft, pert breasts. Her nipples were stood on end in arousal and Raulph could do nothing but stare at them, this had definitely been part of some fantasy and he longed to reach out and touch them, caress them and suckle on them. Lily saw the longing in his eyes and chuckled to herself before reaching up to place her hands around his neck, she pulled him closer to her and reached out tentatively with her lips for his own and after a short but sensuous kiss she lifted his head up and threw back her own arching her back and thrusting her breasts forwards so that his face was between them, he moaned softly and began to kiss them tenderly holding one in his hand and moving his fingers in a flicking motion over her nipple. She groaned at his touch and began to feel herself become more and more aroused, Lily was surprised at her own confidence with Raulph, but it felt right and comfortable and she had been longing for him to touch her again in this way.

After a few moments his lips found the end of one nipple and Raulph began to softly suck on the end of it occasionally nipping it gently between his front teeth and flicking the end with his tongue, he heard her gasp each time he did this and enjoyed the reaction he was getting from her with his tender caressing. She laid back on the bed and started to run her fingers through his long hair as he continued to make her feel excited and ready for something she was still a little unsure about, he moved his own body so he was laid on top of her between her legs and she felt him begin to grow hard against her thigh. She too revelled in the fact that it was her and what they were doing which was causing his arousal and she longed to reach down and touch it but was afraid of what to do.

After a few minutes Raulph rolled back onto his side and lifted his head to look at her, "I don't want to do anything here Lily, not while we could be caught, and I still don't think you're ready, are you?"

She looked into his eyes and shook her head from side to side, "But I still want you to touch me," she replied feeling completely at ease with him knowing that he was not going to push her into anything she was not completely ready for, she liked the way he explored and enjoyed her body but was happy to leave it at this stage for a while yet. Raulph reached up and took his wand from the drawers by his bed where he had placed it when they'd entered the room, with a quick flick he released the heavy drapes around the bed from their restraints and the space around them enclosed in darkness.

"Lumos," Raulph whispered and the end of his wand suddenly cast out a soft greenish glow, he stowed it in a bracket above the head of the bed and the glow bathed them both, he then turned back to look at the stunningly attractive girl in his bed and returned his face to her breasts where he spent another few minutes kissing and caressing them while listening to her soft moans and shallow breathing. He then slid one hand down to her thigh and crept it slowly down to her knee where the hem of her school skirt reached, lifting it out of the way he began to slide his hand underneath it and up the soft skin of her upper leg, she shuddered a little and he paused for a moment looking up at her and whispering, "do you want me to stop?"

"No," she replied feeling both hesitant and excited at what he was doing, no one had ever touched her in this way before and she never thought she would have allowed anyone whom she had only known intimately for a month touch her in this way but she wanted more from Raulph, she wanted him to take her to the heights she had experienced in the coach on Christmas night.

He continued to reach along her thigh and round to the soft flesh between her legs, he reached around the thin lace of her underwear and touched her beneath them, he felt her arch her back a little and moan softly as he gently ran two fingers up and down her listening to her short gasps and moans. His fingers touching her most intimate area had been alien for a mere second but then felt so right to her, she was feeling more and more excited not just at what he was doing and how it was making her feel but also at the fact that someone could walk in at any time. However the usually rule abiding Lily was throwing caution o the wind as she allowed herself to be pleasured by this amazing person who she felt totally at ease with. He ocassionaly slipped a finger inside of her and he listened to her breathing becoming more and more ragged as her body twisted and turned beneath him, he was propped up on his other elbow watching her face in the soft glow as it filled with desire followed by excitement and then, after a soft cry and a deep shudder, satisfaction and fulfilment. He withdrew his hand and ran it up her body softly stroking over her stomach, breasts and neck before reaching to touch her cheek, when she felt thisher eyes opened and she looked deep into his smiling eyes. They grinned at each other as Lily waited for her heartbeat to return to its usual pace and then she rolled over to face him propping herself up on her own elbow, she was unsure of how to approach it but she knew she should, and wanted to, give him the same kind of pleasure in return, "Now what about-"

"Shhh," he said gripping hold of her tightly as he heard a door open and close nearby, footsteps sounded down the room and stopped beside them.

"Raulph?" the voice asked tentatively, "Are you in there?"

"Yeah...I'm...I'm not feeling too good, bit of a headache, thought I could sleep it off."

"Oh, sorry mate, I'll be out of your way in a minute just need to find a book for my next lesson, I'll leave you in peace. Is that your...bag?" the voice added curiously as he noticed Lily's heavy Hogwart's bag on the floor next to the bed.

"What? Oh...Oh that, no...no it's...it's Lily's, she left it with me after our lesson this afternoon."

"Oh, okay," he said trying to suppress a giggle and not sounding too convinced by the explanation, "I'll see you later then." And after a moment they heard the door close again behind him and the two of them started to giggle.

"Now what about you?" Lily whispered leaning close and kissing Raulph tenderly on the lips.

"It's too dangerous, my roommates will be in and out now."

"But it's not fair on you Raulph," she said playfully touching his chest and reaching inside his shirt with one hand, "I want to touch you too."

"And I want nothing more Lily, but there's plenty of time! That was exciting for us both no matter how much you think it wasn't for me," he added quickly knowing she was about to mention that he had not been satisfied in quite the same way again, "there will be a time when we can be alone without the threat of anyone bursting in. And soon!" he went on, "because I want it as much as you do! Now put those away before I get lost again and never make it to my final lesson, not that I'm going to be able to concentrate on potions after that!"

She looked at him wryly and he kissed her on the lips touching her breast once more and then enfolding her naked top half in his own arms and breathing deeply before saying, "Please," while looking at her with puppy dog eyes, "I can't concentrate while you look so..." she teasingly shook her chest at him and then laughed as she picked her clothes back up and began to put them on while he watched her.

"Come on then, let's have a look at this stone shall we?" she asked after she had tucked her shirt back in her skirt and ruffled her messy hair so that it did not look quite like she had spent the last half an hour laying half naked in a dormitory bed while this gorgeous man pleasured her in ways she had barely even imagined.

"I think I'm falling in love with you, Lily Potter," he suddenly whispered looking her squarely in the eyes and taking her hands in his. She looked back at him through wide eyes, she had felt so many emotions over the last few weeks with him and was sure she was falling in love too but she had not expected Raulph to say it to her so soon.

Smiling with admiration she nodded her head and in a voice barely audible replied, "I think I'm falling in love with you too."

After that the rock was forgotten, they kissed each other passionately and tenderly without exploring each others bodies, they didn't need to be sexual after expressing their feelings vocally, Raulph left the curtains closed and they spent the rest of their afternoon together on his bed. Lily laid in the crook of his arm with her slender hand slid through a gap in his shirt so she could trace circles on his bare chest while he held her close to him rubbing the same circular path on her shoulder and occasionally pulling her close to kiss the top of her head. They didn't speak at all until Raulph knew he had to leave her to go to his final lesson of the day but they lay silent, happy and comfortable with each other behind the curtains of the bed.

Eventually he gave her a tight squeeze and kissed her head once more before lifting up and whispering, "I have to go," she too rose from the bed and grabbed her things slowly showing how much she hated to leave the room. Glancing around it once more she noticed that the drapes on one of the beds had fallen.

"Wasn't that tied back before?" she said pointing at the end bed.

Raulph turned to look at it and nodded as he explained, "Those ties are old though, it probably just dropped down, they do it sometimes."

"Oh, not someone else we didn't hear then?" she chuckled.

"I hope not!" he replied laughing, "But no I doubt it, like I said if the elves haven't tightened them properly they can drop so don't worry. She took his explanation as she put her heavy bag onto her shoulder then hand in hand they left the dormitory and made their way down the spiral staircase where she went one way to the Hogwart's Express and he went in the opposite direction to his potions lesson. A quick kiss as they parted was all they needed and a promise to spend Saturday together gave them something to think about as Lily was determined she was going to pleasure Raulph in some way by the end of the weekend.

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She felt like every care she had in the world had been lifted from her head, she knew that she didn't need to make any decisions, that they were all going to be made for her and as a voice which seemed to be inside her head said, "walk to the window," she obeyed it like it was the most natural thing in the world, it then told her to do a little dance and she followed the command without even debating it, she had been told to do it so she was going to. Eventually after another three seemingly strange commands which she followed without question the weightless floating feeling was lifted and she suddenly realised that she had danced, tried to do a headstand, sung a chorus of her school song and screamed like a baby in front of her entire defence against the dark arts class. The Weasley redness crept instantly to her face and she buried it in her hands however she was feeling a lot better about it half an hour later when everyone else in the class had been subjected to embarrassing and hilarious commands from their teacher. The second time around Lily obeyed a couple of simple commands but when she was asked to climb into a bucket of water with her socks on she questioned the order for a second but then she heard it more forcefully in her head, as she approached the bucket however she thought again, 'why?' and said "No," vehemently. The spell lifted immediately and as reality and weight seemed to come back to her she looked around to see a wealth of surprised faces looking back at her.

"Well done, Lily," Professor Graudin said and then turned to look at the rest of the class, "I felt Lily question my command which is when she stopped so I gave the order again but in a stronger voice, as she approached the bucket I could feel her attempt to stop me again which is when she seemed to almost lift the curse. Well done Misss Potter, I lifted it before you fought it off and it will take a little more practice and study to be able to do that successfully but so far you have been the first student today to question any of my orders." He smiled at her and she returned it feeling quite proud of herself and then she watched her fellow classmates take their second turn but by the end of the lesson only two more had managed to try and question the instruction even after a third try.

"Well done everyone for today's work, especially those few who have tried to lift it, as I said it will take more practise and we you will also be learning how to cast the spell as this will help you learn how to throw it. I repeat what I said at the beginning of the lesson though, you must remember this is a dangerous and illegal curse and must never be used outside of this classroom. Your homework for next week is to read chapter seventeen of Defensive Magical Theory Volume six, in there is an outline of the spell and how it works, it also includes a large section on tips for throwing off the curse and I want you all to have a good grasp of some of the main ideas by Tuesday's lesson where we will practise again. Until then enjoy your weekend!"

The students began to mill out of the classroom heading in dribs and drabs back to their common rooms or onto the final lesson of the week, Lizzie and Lily headed down to the courtyard and walked across it in the direction of the Hogwart's Express, "That lesson was fantastic," Lizzie said, "wasn't it a strange feeling being under the imperio? Like you had nothing to worry about or decide! I can't believe you were the first to try and throw it!"

"I know!"

"Mind you, with your Dad being who he is it was bound to have some impact on you, I bet you throw it completely in the next lesson!"

"I doubt I'll be strong enough by then, even with all the theory behind it."

"Gee I bet that's going to be an exciting read!" Lizzie cackled sarcastically, "I mean every other chapter in the book has sent me to sleep even if some of them have been about the unforgivables! Surely practising to throw it is better than reading about it," she went on, "maybe you should get Raulph to cast it on you, he did Defence last year didn't he."

"Yes," Lily replied.

"Oh," Lizzie said, "I was expecting a long protest about that after what Mel told us at Christmas, you haven't already let him have you? You have haven't you? That's why you could almost throw it off, Lily!"

"No," she squealed in reply, "I haven't, he wouldn't ever do it and besides I...I don't agree with it, you know that. It's alright in lessons where it is controlled but outside it's...it's...well it'swrong."

"You've talked about it haven't you?" she whispered trying to make her friend blush out the answer, "You have! Even if you don't agree with it! You're changing your mind now you are involved with him aren't you?"

"No," she lied trying not to let her friend see her eyes. The truth was she had thought about it over the last few weeks, when Mel had first mentioned it she had been absolutely horrified and thought it dangerous but she had also never imagined feeling so much trust for one person like she did for Raulph and in the odd occasion when she thought about what he had already done for her and what she wanted to do for him she did contemplate the idea. She knew he would never push her into anything he knew she wasn't ready for no matter how ready he was and as she worried about what she needed to do to make him shudder and cry like she had the more she thought a little imperio might be a good idea, as Mel had said, to lower her inhibitions a little and sort of guide her in the right direction. She knew he would not want to go all the way anyway without her being completely there for it rather than under a spell but some touching and pleasuring wouldn't be so bad.

When they reached the train Peter and Raulph were both waiting by the door for the two girls, Lizzie had become very taken with the other Durmstrang boy and was seeing as much of him as Lily was of Raulph which was good for both of them as it meant they didn't constantly leave each other out. There was to be another trip into Lisleberg the following weekend and the four of them were going to go on a proper out of school double date which the girls were very excited about.

"Fancy a walk?" Raulph asked her holding out his arm and she nodded before dashing inside to stow her things and find her thick fur lined over cloak. Thirty minutes later they found themselves heading in the direction of the quidditch changing rooms which were deserted as the quidditch season had been cancelled for the tri wizard tournament. They had visited them a few times before as they were secluded and it meant they could be alone for a while but many other couples also knew they were deserted at the moment and had also taken to using them for a hidden kiss. As they pushed open the door they were happy to find that they were empty and they hurried down the aisle of lockers to the benches at the bottom of the room, sitting down on them and snuggling up close to keep warm they started to kiss each other and enjoy another rare moment of being alone. It didn't last long however as other couples began to arrive and disappear in to different places, "Maybe we should go back up to the castle where it's a bit warmer," Lily suggested, "I know it's Friday but I ought to get some studying done and you still need to work out that clue, there's only two weeks left until the next task!"

"Yes, Boss," he replied lifting his hand to his eyebrow in salute, "come on then," he added jumping to his feet and holding out a hand for her, she begrudged having to leave this place but the rapidly arriving couples was making it less and less appealing and they resolved that they would need to find somewhere more secluded like the coaching house which was, unfortunately, manned all day every day.

They called back at the train for Lily's bag and headed for a smaller Durmstrang common room, they found one with only a few students in and sat in two chairs near the fire where they both pulled out books and began to read, "What about the rock?" Lily asked.

"We'll do that tomorrow," he replied, "let's get the studying out of the way."

Lily settled down with Defensive Magical Theory Volume six and began to read through chapter seventeen which began with an explanation of how the imperio spell worked before it went on to describe how to cast it and ensure that it was strong and finally how to throw the curse off. As Lizzie had predicted it was slow reading, although it was an intereting topic it was written in such an unexciting way that as with all the other chapters Lily had read she found herself getting to the bottom of a page and realising that she had only taken in about half of the content. Because of this it took her almost an hour to complete the chapter and by the end of it was she desperate to actually try throwing the curse again, she closed the book and looked up to see Raulph staring at her, "What?" she asked smiling.

"You screw up your nose when you concentrate!" he explained, "And you look so cute!"

"Shut up," she said throwing the book at him, it landed on his knee and he made a gutting noise as it hit him.

"Defensive Magical Theory Volume six, he read from the front cover, "riveting! I remember it well," he smiled. "Which chapter you on?"

"Imperio," she said, "we went under it today and I managed to try and throw it on my second go!"

"Wow," he replied looking impressed, I think it took me at least six goes last year, Professor Graudin had me doing cartwheels, kissing a huge hairy spider and whistling and old Celina Warbeck tune along with some other pretty embarrassing things, it was when he asked me to pull my tousers down and act like a chimp that I finally started to think, 'No'!"

Lily laughed at him, "Yeah he had me doing a few embarsssing things too, I questioned standing in a bucket of cold water with my socks on!"

"He's a good teacher though isn't he? Pity he sets such rotten books for homework though, I'm not sure I actually learned anything from this," he said brandishing the book in his hand, "it's the practise which makes you better."

"I was just thinking that," she said looking up at him suggestively, "I mean reading about it is alright but you need to be under it to apply the theory. I was sort of thinking maybe you could put me under." He looked at her with his mouth wide and she quickly went on, "I know we talked about this briefly once before but it would only be for practise and I know you wouldn't do anything to me that I didn't want you to, you could just make me walk about and maybe kiss you or something."

"And you'd want to throw that command off would you?"

"Okay so you could make me kiss your bare feet then!" she said imploringly.

"I don't know Lily, it's dangerous and illegal didn't Graudin give you the speal about not doing it out of class?"

"Well yes but there would only be us two who knew about it and I wouldn't tell anyone, and like I said I trust you completely, I know you wouldn't do anything to me or make me do anthing I didn't want to and besides I managed to question it today, I'm sure I'd be able to do it again."

"It's not really a good idea though Lily."

"Please," she begged, "just think about it?" she stood up then and leaned over his chair, placing a hand on either arm she leant close to his face and after giving him a quick kiss on the lips she lifted her head up a little knowing he would see straight down the top of her school shirt the top buttons of which she had unfastened as they came into the common room, he cheekily lifted a hand up and pulled it forwards so he could get a better view.

"Okay," he said pulling on the loosened tie so her face became level with his again and he kissed her fully on the lips, "but only so you can practise lifting it," he added.

"Of course," she replied thinking that once he had done it a few times he might lean a little more towards helping her to touch him, "We'd better go and get some dinner," she continued straightening herself up.

"Tomorrow," he said as he rose next to her, "We'll use one of the empty upstairs classrooms no one ever goes in them at the weekends. But keep it quiet."

"Promise," she replied as they set off hand in hand to the great hall. "Oh, by the way, my brush went missing from my bag the other day, I think it might have fallen out in your dormitory you haven't seen it have you?"

"No."

"Oh, maybe I lost it somewhere else then, I just didn't want the boys finding a pink hairbrush under your bed or something!" she teased.

"I'll check," he said rolling his eyes and then they proceeded in the direction of the hall where they joined Peter and Lizzie for dinner.

**please please please review, please please please!!**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11 – Imperio

"Are you sure about this Lily?" Raulph asked as he looked around the deserted classroom feeling that they were about to do something very wrong. They were in one of the transfiguration rooms on the top floor of the fortress and as added security Raulph had performed a locking spell on the door along with muffliato so that no one would hear them if they passed by.

"Yes," she smiled back at him.

Raulph took a deep breath and looked at her meaningfully before pointing his wand and saying, "Imperio," the weightless feeling passed over her again and she fell limp for a moment before a deep and sensual voice told her to walk across the room, she obeyed it and then walked back upon its command. She continued to carry out a few more simple tasks like climbing on a desk, moving some furniture around and using her wand to make a few objects fly through the air then the feeling left her and she found herself looking at Raulph who had a puzzled look on his face.

"Did you even try?" he asked, "I couldn't feel you trying at all, you just let me do it all."

"I didn't want to stop, I mean there wasn't anything I found strange or that made me want to question why I was doing it."

"But if someone used it on you properly they would start with the simple things like that to get you used to it, then you would be less likely to question the bigger things. You need to be able to throw it off because you know someone is controlling you, not because you don't want to do what they command."

"Okay," she replied, "try again, but put in something I might not want to do just to get me started." He nodded and cast the spell once more.

An hour later Lily had successfully tried to question his commands a few times and he had removed the spell at this point knowing she was not yet strong enough the throw it completely. "I think that's enough for one day Lily," he said, "it can tire you out."

"Alright," she conceeded but then looked at him with a curious expression, "but first, make me kiss you."

"What?" he asked in a shocked tone, "I thought we weren't going to do that."

"I know, I'm sorry but I just want to know what it feels like to kiss you under a spell."

"Once," he replied smiling at her, he couldn't resist making her happy and after they had been doing the curse for an hour anyway he could not really see any harm in indulging her a little bit, he knew he was not going to make her do anything she didn't ask for and was secretly elated that she had so much trust in him. "Imperio," he said pointing his wand at her and watching her facial expression become relaxed, with wordless commands he ordered the beautiful girl to walk towards him and then put her arms around his neck, leaning in so that their bodies were touching he commanded that she kiss him which she began to do immediately. Feeling a little danger and excitement running through him he increased the intensity of the kiss and made it more passionate before lifting the curse. For a second he felt her pull away as reality came back but then she pushed herself up against him again and continued the deep and sensuous kiss for a few moments longer.

"That was so amazing," she said breathlessly when they pulled apart, "I knew there was a little danger inside you somewhere! Can we do it again sometime?"

"Lily," he said sternly.

"Come on, don't tell me you didn't enjoy commanding me," she said looking demurely at him.

"Maybe," he replied wanting to get away from the subject, "come on let's get this rock figured out downstairs shall we?" and they left the empty classroom to sit in the common room below where they finally got to work on the triwizard clue.

After exploring it for a short while Raulph noticed a small piece of rock on a flattened side which looked a little different to the rest of it, he pointed his wand at the spot and tried a variety of different spells to see if anything happened, eventually he gave up and put it down when nothing had happened. Lily picked it up and looked at the strange spot herself and then noticed something about the rock in general, "It feels light."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"For a rock of this size, it feels light, maybe there's something inside it."

Raulph looked at it for another moment and then took it from her hands, pointing his wand at the spot he had discovered earlier he whispered, "Alohamora," and in front of them one side of the rock seemed to open like a lid revealing two sections to the large light stone. One side of the inside was smooth and had a riddle carved into it, the other side looked like a tiny maze where hundreds of tiny, thin wormholes weaved in and out of each other leading to the small piece of rock which was different to the rest of it from a square in the centre of the labrynth. They looked over at the carved letters and Lily started to read the words aloud.

_Come join us in the labrynth home  
Where many of us like to roam  
You'll have to search and find a way  
To get back to the light of day  
Within there is no way to see  
And hours, you have only three  
To find the way you have to learn  
Which way it is you have to turn._

"It's a maze," she said and then added, "this one," pointing at the numerous wormholes.

"In the dark?" he asked, "It says there is no way to see, I have to get through a maze in the dark, this maze?" he picked up the rock and looked at the twisting and turning paths. "I have to learn the way so I can get through in the dark. I have to learn this whole maze!"

"That's hard, it's huge and you only have three hours to get out of it plus what is in there?"

"What do you mean?"

"It says join us where we roam, there's something in there that you probably have to face too."

"They don't make it easy do they?" Raulph sighed sitting back in his chair, "It'll take me ages to find the right path on this thing, never mind learn it, remember it and guide myself through it in the dark with who knows what crawling around it."

"Well it is supposed to test your magic," Lily reminded him and he laughed at her before looking down at the maze and trying to trace a path out of it.

Lily watched him for ages as he furrowed his brow and traced different paths with his wand but after two hours he gave up and promised her he would try again after school on Monday. They spent the rest of the day lounging around the common room, talking, cuddling and kissing whenever they got a moment alone and before they knew it they were heading their separate ways to their respective dormitories.

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During Tuesday's Defence lesson Lily impressed her teacher and fellow classmates by being able to throw the imperio curse almost immediately and Professor Graudin congratulated her on studying the theory so well and being able to understand how to throw off the curse. She blushed a little at the compliment as she knew it had barely anything to do with the reading she had done and more to do with the practise that she had had. While the other students continued to practise throwing the curse a teaching assistant took Lily and a second girl from Beauxbatons, who had also managed to throw the curse successfully, to a separate area of the classroom where they were taught to cast the spell on each other. Once under it they had to try and throw each other and by the end of the lesson they were both removing it from each other within seconds.

After another warning about not using the curse out of the classroom they were dismissed and as Lily and the other girl had done so well they did not have to complete any homework assignments by the next lesson. She took advantage of this fact and at dinner asked Rauplh if he was free to spend a few hours with her, naturally he obliged only too happy to have a distraction from his own schoolwork.

Lily did not tell Raulph how successful she had been at throwing the curse during her defence lesson but instead asked him if they could go and practise in a deserted classroom again, he looked at her warily for a moment but a winning smile stole his heart and he agreed. Locking the door and casting the muffliato spell once more Raulph settled down to put Lily under the imperio curse, despite himself he had enjoyed the trust she had placed in him and the fact that he had been able to control for a second what she could do to him.

Each time he cast the curse Lily could feel the ability to throw it but she let him control her for a little longer, she had begged him to make her do things other than just kissing him again but he had refused to make her do anything else, even if it was going to lower her inhibitions, "This is practising for lessons Lily and nothing else," he had said and so she had let him keep control and order her to kiss him passionately on the lips, on the neck and then he got her to run her hands up his shirt while she kissed him tentatively. Lily loved the feeling of being totally relaxed and under someone elses control and then enjoyed it even more when he lifted the curse from her in the middle of a kiss and she could continue it with her own mind. Eventually Raulph got a little bit cross with her when she didn't even try to stop him," You are doing worse than on Saturday," he told her and she apologised saying that she would try harder. On the next turn she threw it after a few minutes and he gave her a congratulatory kiss which she accepted while smiling slyly behind her hair.

"We learned how to cast the spell today," she told him, "it was really strange being in control of someone else, don't you agree?"

"Yes," he said, "but it is kind of exhilarating too, I mean when it's for fun, obviously not when you mean to control someone against their will." She smiled at him as he continued, "I mean I know I said at the beginning that it was dangerous but I'm starting to see what you meant about the trust thing, it feels so wonderful to know that you trust me so much and that you want me to control you like this knowing that I won't do anything that-"

"That I want you to do?" she teased.

"Lily!," he chided looking at her, "It's just that I don't want you to be out of it when we do things like that."

"I know you don't," she said walking over to the desk he was sat on, "but I feel hesitant about what to do, I...I don't want to disappoint you," she whispered shyly.

"Lily," he said pulling her forwards so she was standing between his legs, "you could never disappoint me," he went on lifting her chin as she looked down away from his eyes, "just being with you is enough."

"I know, but it doesn't feel like enough to me, I want to be able to make you shudder and cry out, make you feel as wonderful and satisfied as I feel, without us having to go all the way, I'm...I'm still not completely ready for all that."

"I know you're not," he replied, "and no matter what you think, I am alright with that, but Lily you have to know everything I've experienced in the past has been just experiences, quick fumbles behind the coaching house and sex with a girl who I couldn't wait to get away from afterwards, with you it's...well it's all completely different I want to be with you all the time and I'm happy just to do that, I don't need everything else, not until you are ready."

"But I'm ready for nearly everything else Raulph, please just help me, I...I need a bit of guidance, you know I trust you."

"Of course I do, after all this, but I don't know Lily."

"Please," she pleaded again looking up into his beautiful blue eyes with her own deep chocolate orbs.

"Alright," he relented bending as usual to her will because all he ever wanted to do was keep her happy, "but not here."

"Ok," she nodded at him, "but soon," she went on.

"Come on, why don't you practise the curse on me, so you can see how much I trust you too," Raulph suggested.

"Are you sure?"

"Lily," he laughed, "Of course I am, just try it and you'll see what a rush it gives you to know how much I trust you too." He jumped down from the table pushing her backwards and walked to a chair where he sat down, "Go on, make me do something stupid like a chicken dance or a headstand!"

She chuckled back at him, "Can I make you kiss me?" she asked sheepishly.

"You can do anything you want!" he said suggestively raising his eyebrows at her and making her chuckle.

"Imperio," she called pointing her wand at him, he could feel immediately that it was weak and he would have been able to throw it without a moment's pause but he was doing this to show her his trust and although he momentarily questioned it he let her guide him relaxing his body and allowing Lily's mind to control him. She sat up on the table where he had been moments before and ordered him to walk back over to her stopping between her legs which she opened wide and then wrapped around him. She made him kiss her slowly and sensually as he unbuttoned the shirt she was wearing and slipped one hand inside to pull her body close while the other cupped her breast. She made him run his thumb over her nipple and she moaned softly before making him move his lips away from hers and begin to nibble and bite down her neck and along the shoulder as he pulled back the thin white shirt. He unfastened the bra she wore with the hand behind her back and slid the cups at the front up, she then brought his head back along her shoulder and down to the nipple which he took in his mouth and began to suck gently causing Lily to moan harder and grab hold of his head pushing it against her breast. She made him start to bite her and she gasped at the strange mixture of pleasure and pain that it gave her and then suddenly it stopped, her head was thrown back and she was still gripping onto Raulph's but he was resisting her and trying to lift his own head up, he had thrown the curse.

"Lily," he said forcefully looking down at her half naked body, "why did you make me do that?"

"I...I'm sorry," she said realising that he was angry at her, that she had gone too far and made him do something he had not wanted to, "I shouldn't have, I...I got carried away, you were trusting me not to make you do something you didn't want to and I betrayed that," tears were threatening to fill her eyes but she swallowed them back.

"It's alright," he said pulling her up and into his arms, "if you wanted me to do that then it's alright. There is nothing I wouldn't want you to make me do, I just didn't want to hurt you."

"You didn't," she said, the threatening tears now receding, "it was strange but I really wanted you to do it and it was a mix of pleasure and pain together, it was exciting, exhilarating, something I suppose you wouldn't do without me prompting you."

He smiled at her and kissed the top of her nose, "I can see why it is important for you to lose your inhibitions a bit," he said with a tone of understanding, "you're right I would never have dreamed of doing that to you, but if you want it I am happy to oblige." Then he kissed her on the nose again and smiled warmly before slowly and tentatively returning to the nipple which still protruded from her shirt, he gave her a chance to stop him or to pull away before gently sucking it between his lips and into his teeth where he began to gently nibble and bite as her head thrust back again. He heard her moan and gasp a few times and then he laid her down on the table, leaning right over to continue fondling her, his hands slipped up the knee length skirt she wore and he scooted her underwear to the side so he could once more bring her to the brink of pleasure while simultaneously continuing with the biting that she had initiated, after a moment he heard her cry out and felt her whole body shudder once more and then he removed his hand and wrapped both of his arms around her so she could breath deeply, her face had a completely relaxed look on it and he was once more in awe of the beautiful girl who he could not get enough of and who he knew right at that moment he was in love with.

Five minutes passed before Lily opened her eyes and looked up at him smiling and said, "I want to do that for you."

"You will," he said chuckling at her and she sat herself up, "come on it's getting late you should get back to your common room before the curfew," he started to button up her school shirt and she pouted a little at him so he whispered, "be patient," then he held out a hand for her to jump off the table and together, still hand in hand, they left the room and he walked her back to the train.

After their Care of magical creatures lesson the following afternoon Lily suggested that they go up to Raulph's dormitory again to look at the labrynth in the rock, the second task was to take place on Saturday and he still had not even found the correct path never mind memorised it so he could follow it in the dark. He nodded his agreement knowing it would be empty for at least two hours because the rest of his room mates had lessons all afternoon so they climbed the stairs to the room swiftly arriving within minutes at its heavy oak door.

Inside Lily found the same, remarkably tidy room that she had visitied the previous week, the one in which Raulph had told her he was falling in love with her and she smiled as she remembered it. As he pulled out the rock Lily sat on the bed and asked him why it was so tidy in there for a boy's dormitory.

"The house elves clean and tidy every morning in the week," he explained sitting next to her and opening the stone to reveal the maze of tunnels inside it.

"Didn't come across my brush then?" she joked and he shook his head.

"If they have, they've taken it to use for themselves!" he chuckled and then a look of concentration came across his face as he stared down at the tangle of wormholes infront of him. "I nearly found the way last night," he told her, "I followed the path to here and then went left," he indicated a route which seemed to go more than halfway to the opening. "But I don't think it was right, I ended up at this dead end," he said pointing out a closed ending, "maybe if I go right ad try to follow it round, it seems to be heading back inwards but I suppose it wouldn't be straight forward would it?"

"I doubt it," she replied, "come on let's sit back and look at it carefully, I'll help you perhaps we could put a little charm spot on the ways you have tried out," she suggested and he smiled in thanks to her idea. She cast a spell on the path he had taken the previous night and tried out the second option, when they reached another fork she followed one path while he went down another and they continued to try out different ways for another hour. By that time Lily was starting to feel alittle cold and when Raulph noticed her shivering he dropped the curtains on the bed, as they fell she thought she saw a movement near the door and she flicked the curtain back swiftly to check it however she found that they were still the only two peoplein the room and she let the drape fall down as she sat back on the bed.

"What's the matter?" Raulph asked her with a curious expression.

"I thought I saw someone or something, but it musthave been a trick of the light, there's no one there," she explained, "come on we've got to keep trying."

A few more times their paths seemed to bring them closer to the edge of the rock and the opening that they were heading for but they inevitably headed back in and hit another dead end and they were beginning to get frustrated. Raulph had had enough by half past four and had cast the rock aside exclaiming that he would never be able to complete the task and he would just have to drop out. "You can't," Lily reminded him as she picked it back up and continued to trace the paths with her own wand, they had decided to draw a soft magical route through the part they had already explored ignoring the paths marked with charm spots and it didn't take Lily much longer to notice the correct way to get to the exit hole, "I've done it," she suddenly exclaimed and Raulph scooted over on the bed to take a closer look, "that's it," she told him following the complete path with her finger again to be sure and finding that it led perfectly from the large square on the centre to the small opening on the edge. It weaved back on itself a number of times but Raulph could plainly see that it was the correct way to navigate through the maze.

"You're wonderful," he shrieked kissing her on the lips and then looking back at the solution to the puzzle which was drawn out in front of him, it was long and would probably take almost three hours even in the light and without some kind of creatures or beings to face. Then his face fell a little as he remembered the next part of the riddle, "How am I going to learn it in two days?" he asked. "It's not exactly a simple route is it?"

"What if," Lily started and then paused, he could see an idea forming in her head and he waitied patiently as she appeared to be mulling it over, "what if I lead you?" she suggested.

He looked at her with a confused expression, "How can you do that?"

"What if I...well...I imperio you?" She could see he was about to protest but then something stopped him, "Think about it," she went on, "I could have the rock with me and I can make you take the correct paths, you are strong enough to throw it if you come across something you need to fight and I can wait before I try to cast it again, if I stay out of the way and don't go to spectate I'm sure I could do it."

"But are you strong enough yet?" he asked her, "I don't want to offend you but last night it was quite easy to throw your curse because it was still weak, you have only just started to do it," he added quickly not wanting her to take offense, "I didn't throw it straight away because of what we were doing but it takes a lot more strength to do it when the person isn't right in front of you."

"Which do you think would be quicker," she started to ask, "learning the route by heart so you can follow it yourself or teaching me to make my curse stronger and more powerful?"

He looked back at her as if there wasn't an answer to the question but he found one and said, "Teaching you, but we'll need to practise all the time from now to Saturday," he went on, "what about school work?"

"I'll leave it until Sunday," she said, "this ismore important, and I'll sneak out after curfew," she suggested, "we could go to the quidditch changing rooms or somewhere, if we're careful we won't be caught," she whispered when she saw a protesting look creep onto his face, "it's only for three nights." He smiled and nodded his head and then pulled her into his arms for another kiss, they laid back on the bed in a tight embrace for a while until Raulph had to rise and go to his last lesson again. As they drew back the curtains to leave Lily noticed that the curtain on the bed which had fallen the previous week had fallen again and was about to say something when she remembered Raulph's explanation from last time and she dismissed it picking up her bag instead and taking her boyfriend's outstretched hand so they could walk down the spiral staircase together. They promised to meet at the entrance to the dining hall after dinner so they could begin practising and with a quick kiss he left her at the bottom of the stairwell and she watched him walk away.

Rounding the corner of the main corridor Lily was stopped in her tracks as she collided with another person who seemed to be standing almost on the corner but out of sight, "Sorry," she blurted out feeling a little annoyed that someone had been standing in such a stupid place but she wanted to take it back when she felt her hair being lifted and she looked up into the sleazy, smiling face of Rick Branton.

"Ahhh, the beautiful Potter girl," he said in a slimy voice and then he lifted up his other hand and put it on her waist, "you're wasting your time on that Krum boy you know," he went on, "you'd get a lot more pleasure from me, I'd let you do whatever you want," he cackled slowly walking her backwards unitl he had her pinned against the opposite wall, "pretty thing like you should be giving a lot of pleasure to a young man like me." She was feeling a little nauseated by him and the things he was saying disturbed her somewhat, did he know what had or had not gone on between her and Raulph? Or was he just playing on the fact that he was a noble boy who would not have pushed her into doing anything yet? Surely it had to be the latter, Raulph would not have told anyone about their conversations would he? No she told herself, it was just this sleaze ball being a menace she tried to push him away but he leant closer to her so his face was almost touching hers and whispered, "You'll be mine one day, don't you worry, you'll realise that there are better people out there, those who are open to anything," he breathed into her ear and the pulled away looking down on her through lusty eyes and then with a kiss to the air he turned and left her feeling strangely violated even though her had barely touched her. The boy gave her the creeps and what he had said had unnerved her somewhat but she shrugged it off and remembered that she needed to concentrate on learning the imperio spell, she decided to head back to the Hogwart's Express library and re-read the chapter in her Defensive Magical Theory book before dinner so she was prepared for her practise with Raulph later.

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"You need to concentrate and really mean it," he told her, "if it's going to be strong enough to get through to me inside the labrynth it needs to be difficult for me to throw it when I'm right in front of you, okay?" Lily nodded her head and prepared to cast the curse, she was determined to do it which she hoped was enough to make her really mean it.

Lifting up her wand and pointing it in Raulph's direction she said, "Imperio," and tried to concentrate with all her might on what she wanted him to do, she began with little tasks like the Defence teacher had done with them, she tried to get him to do a handstand and had to hold back a chuckle when he did it but almost fell over, she then had him dancing a highland fling and decided she needed to try things which were much less funny in order to keep her concentration. After a few more simple tasks Raulph threw the curse and then looked at her with a pleased expression on his face.

"That was much stronger," he said, I didn't feel ready to throw it until you made me do the dance," he eyed her with a little pout and she laughed at him, "if we can keep making it stronger then we should be alright by Saturday!" He walked over to give her a kiss and it was a few minutes before they were ready to start again.

By ten o clock, which was curfew on weeknights, Lily had managed to make Raulph do a variety of different things and as they were in the quidditch changing rooms they had even tried to cast the spell through a dividing wall, with Raulph standing in the shower room while Lily was in the girl's changing room. She laughed heartily when he came back into the room she was casting from dripping wet from the shower she had made him turn on while still wearing his clothes, the shock of the cold water had made him throw the curse and though he was soaked through and feeling stupid he was nontheless impressed that she had cast such a strong imperious curse through the wall. He grinned at her cheekily and she returned the smile until she saw the glint in his eye and she realised what he was going to do, backing her into a corner he held out his wringing wet arms and began to chase her around the room as she screamed and squealed at him. "Raulph, no!" she shrieked trying to scoot past him but he caught her with one arm and gripping tightly he pulled her closer, she squirmed and protested but he was too strong for her and managed to wrap each soaking arm around her one at a time then he picked her up and carried her into the showers where the water was still running. "Raulph, no please no," she screeched trying to wriggle out of his grip but he held her firmly as he walked back under the cold water that she had forced him to use, she squealed loudly and squirmed more ferociously as it hit her body but he refused to let her go until she was as wet as he was.

He laughed at her raucously when he finally let her go and she ran from beneath the cold shower trying to shake herself off as she looked around desperately for a towel, "there are no games Lily, so you won't find any towels!" he chuckled and she began to pout.

"I'm freezing!" she shrieked looking around wildly for anything that would warm her up and he stepped closer to her as he noticed she began to shiver.

"Come here," he said wrapping both his arms around her but they were so wet and it was so cold in the building that being in wet clothes was doing nothing to help either of them, "we need to take these wet things off," he said seriously, "otherwise we're going to freeze.

She eyed him warily but with a smile, "Are you trying to get me naked?"

"You're the one that soaked us with cold water!"

"No, I soaked you!" she shrieked still shaking uncontrollably.

"Well I didn't want you to miss out!" he laughed and then he began to search through the cupboards to find anything they could throw on instead of their dripping wet clothes. "Here, throw this on," he said coming across an old Durmstrang B team quidditch shirt.

"What about you?" she asked and he held up a cloak as answer to her question, it was a long black one which would cover him entirely, "get into that," he urged her, "and I'll see what else I can find." As he rummaged through a few more lockers Lily began to peel her wet clothes away, the thought did not occur to her to use another room or another area and after a few minutes of searching Raulph was distracted as his eyes flicked back to his girlfriend. She was standing turned slightly so he could see her back and a little of her profile, she had stripped to her wet underwear which she was removing slowly, she dropped her bra from her front and began to peel down the wet lace pants which she wore. Raulph's breath caught in his throat and at the sound she turned to face him, completely without inhibition she stared back at him with a smile on her face, he had never seen her completely naked before and he thought she was exquisite. Her long wet hair hung in limp curls over her shoulders one breast was covered by the locks but the other was plainly visible with an erect nipple showing how truly cold she was. His eyes travelled down her creamy skin along the curve of her waist and downwards, from the angle she was stood at he could see her pert little bottom and he followed the cuved of it all the way down her legs too. He had seen naked girls before and thought they were pretty but Lily looked absolutely beautiful and part of him longed to take her and make her his completely but another part wanted to wrap her in a safety bubble and keep her clean and pure like she deserved to be.

"What's the matter?" she asked softly breaking his reverie, his eyes shot back up to her face and he noticed she was still smiling.

"Nothing," he said breathlessly, "you just look so beautiful," he added making her blush slightly, "you're shivering too," he went on suddenly remembering why she was standing before him with nothing on, "put that shirt on." He was reluctant to see her cover her body but he did not want her to stay cold either. He watched her pull the shirt over her head, it reached almost to her bottom and just managed her a modicum of modesty below the waist, he marvelled at how unbelievably sexy she looked with her creamy legs protruding from the bottom of it.

She wrung out her wet clothes and hung them over some of the pegs then turned to look at Raulph who was having no luck finding any more items of clothing, "Just get the cloak on," she said walking towards the door in search of something comfortable to sit on. After rummaging around in the other changing room for a few minutes she had managed to come across some covered cushioned seats which were probably used by the teachers on the quidditch stands. Using her wand she floated them into the changing room where she had left Raulph and found him hangin up his own wet clothes, he was wrapped up in the long thick cloak and was walking around barefoot like she was.

"I found these," she explained making him jump as he had not heard her come back into the room, she chuckled and then scattered them on the floor in a corner of the room.

Raulph used his wand to conjure a soft floating flame which emitted a huge amount of warmth and then sat down on the cushions, "Come on," he beckoned noticing she was still shivering a little, he opened up the cloak he was wearing intending to share his body heat with her.

"Why are you still wearing those?" she asked noticing his wet underpants were still clung to his body, "you must still be cold."

"I...I didn't want to..." he looked up at her not sure how to finish the sentence.

"Raulph," she chided and he stood up to remove them, he held the cloak around him as he did so and then laid back down on the cushions where she had now taken residence and opened up the top part of his cloak leaving his own modesty in tact, he was not inhibited in front of Lily but he did not want to scare her or make her feel uncomfortable either. She snuggled into the cloak and he wrapped it around her body pulling her tight and trying to share the body heat that he had with her.

They kissed for a while and Raulph's hands began to slide up and down her body, he was careful not to touch her bare bottom as he was unsure how she would react but he did put one hand on her thigh and realised how cold her legs were, "You're freezing," he whispered.

"Let me in then!" she replied in a whisper. He opened the rest of the cloak and felt her body inch close to his so her bare legs were touching his, as she did so the bottom of the quidditch shirt rose up a little and he felt soft hair touching the top of his leg. Her hands slid around his bare back and ran down to touch his bottom which she softly stroked with the tips of her fingernails as she leaned back up to kiss him again.

Lily was surprised at how easy to was to be naked with Raulph and enjoyed the soft moan he made when she touched his bottom, she was pressed so close to him that she could feel his body heat passing through to her and she felt instantly warmed, she wrapped one leg around his and then gasped as she felt something pressing against her growing harder and harder. She had felt it before but always through clothes, it was different when it was pushed against her bare flesh but she did not mind, as they continued to kiss and she continued to stroke his bare bottom it grew larger and slipped in between her legs catching her in intimate places and she gasped/ Raulph pulled his head back from the kiss they were sharing and tried to move his body away from her a little to stop her feeling threatened by it, "I'm sorry," he whispered but she put a finger to his lips and then tentatively ran it down his chest and between the two of them so she could touch the throbbing flesh protruding from his body. She heard him moan again as her fingers closed around it and he momentarily stopped kissing her, his own hands had now found her bare bottom and were tracing circle on it as she slid her hand up and down him. It felt completely natural to her to be holding his hard member in her hands and she desperately wanted to please him in the same way he had done for her but she was unsure of what to do and ran her hands up and down his shaft gently feeling a mixture excitement and trepidation.

Raulph could sense she was hesitant and he tried to relax and show her that what she was doing was fine but she lifted her head to look into his eyes and timidly whispered, "Help me," he knew what she meant immediately and although he was hesitant to do this under imperio he knew it was important to her so he nodded and reached out for his wand which was on the floor beside the cushions.

"Imperio," he whispered and then felt Lily go limp for a moment, through his mind he guided her into pleasuring him by making her hand first grip him harder and then move up and down increasing in speed as rapidly as he could, he moaned and flung back his head as her touch aroused him more and more and within minutes he was ready to release himself but he didn't want to do it while she was under his spell, he wanted her to be a proper part of it. However the closer he came to explosion the more difficult he found it to maintain the concentration on imperio anyway and the spell slipped, for a second he felt Lily's hand stop as she came to her senses but he moved his own hand over hers as encouragement and she continued for a few seconds guided by him and then his hands moved away leaving her to do the work. He could feel she was still hesitant but he continued to groan almost ecstatically and the noise seemed to spur her on, within seconds his breathing deepened and he made a loud satisfied groan and then shuddered letting his arms go limp and releasing his hold on Lily's body. For a moment she held on to him squeezing gently and watching the look of total relaxation on his face, under the curse she had been relaxed and slightly aware of what was going on and when it had lifted she had been afraid of carrying on without his guidance but his reassuring hand and moans had helped her to do what she had wanted to and she felt an overwhelming sense of achievement. She realised how good Raulph had felt when he had done these things to her and felt satisfied herself having beenable to do this for him and did not feel the need for him to return the favour in any way.

She looked up at his face and noticed that his eyes had opened, he was staring with a slightly dazed expression but his mouth was curled in a satisfied smile and one arm had now found its way around her back and was pulling gently through her drying dark locks of hair, "I told you that you didn't need to worry," he whispered pulling her close and kissing the top of her head, "you were wonderful." She smiled sheepishly at him, "I couldn't hold the curse any longer, I'm sorry, you know how much concentration is needed and I...well...I couldn't concentrate any more!" he kissed her head again and she smiled.

They laid cuddled up together for another ten minutes tracing circles on each others backs and occasionally kissing each other with short quick kisses and then Lily put her head under his chin and they clung as close to each other as they could neither of them could feel the cold anymore and both had forgotten how they'd ended up in this position. "Lily," Raulph whispered after a few more minutes of silence.

"Hmmm," she whispered.

"I love you." Lily moved her head back and looked up into the smiling eyes of Raulph Krum, he was gazing down at her with love burning in his eyes and she knew at that moment that she loved him too, "I'm not just saying it because of what just happened or because I want to do anything else," he assured her, "but I-"

"I love you too," she interrupted and leaned up to kiss him sensuously on the mouth, he moved his hands around to cup her breasts and took his time to show her just how much he loved her culminating a good fifteen minutes later in her groaning softly and shuddering in his arms as his fingers worked his magic on her.

Raulph woke in the early hours of the morning, they were still clinging fiercely to each other legs entwined and Lily laid with her head under his chin. It was still dark outside but he knew it was far too late for them still to be out, "Lily," he whispered, "Lily, wake up."

"Hmmm," she sighed moving her head back and looking up him, "what time is it?"

"I don't know," he replied quietly, "it's still dark but we should get back to the common rooms before any one finds out, come on," he added pulling her in tightly for one more embrace and then releasing his hold on her and sitting up. She slowly sat up and got to her feet stretching upwards with a yawnas she did so the qudditch shirt rose above her waist revealing the lower half of her body and Raulph stared at it again as she turned around. She noticed him looking and smiled before gripping hold of the bottom of the shirt which she then began to lift teasingly upwards flashing him one breast and then another. He stood up and walked towards her and she teasingly stepped away from him still flashing her skin at him and smiling, his cloak had fallen away and she looked down at him noticing he was becoming aroused once more.

He backed her into a corner where she giggled as he looked lustily into her eyes and put one hand against the wall to pinion her to it, his eyes burned down into hers and he lowered his face to kiss her passionately sliding his hands up onto her slender waist forcefully and moving around to cup her breast in his hand. She moaned softly and he moved close to her pushing her back against the wall and she felt him pressing between her legs again. Lily felt aroused and wanted more from Raulph than he had already given her, she could feel his need and wanted to satisfy it for herself and for him. She ran her hands around his back and placed them both on his bare bottom which she pulled towards her so he was pushed completely upagainst her, she suddenly longed to feel him inside of her and as he seemed to come to his senses and try to back away from pushing her she pulled him back and intensified the kiss they were still sharing.

He pulled his head back and looked down into her passion filled eyes, he was looking for something but she took him by the hand gently and led him back to the pile of cusions they had been sleeping on, he followed her without speaking and watched as she let him go and then sat down on them. The fire he had lit earlier with his wand had burned out while they were sleeping and the room was now only illuminated by the moonlight shining through a window, the warmth had gone with it too but neither of them felt the cold. The streaming moonlight seemed to make Lily's skin glow as Raulph stood watching her remove the quidditch shirt to reveal her totally naked body, he marvelled again at how beautiful it was as she laid back on the cushions and lifted her knees parting her legs a little and staring up at him. He hesitated for a moment until she lifted her hand beckoning him to come down on the makeshift bed, he obliged and knelt on to it postioning himself between her legs and looking down on her glorious body. Lily sat herself up and looked into his eyes before taking his hands in hers and gently tugging him as she laid back down, he moved his body over hers keeping his weight on his knees and leaving a breath of air between them. Lily encouraged him to close the gap by wrapping her arms around him and pulling him closer so their bodies touched completely, she gasped as she felt him hard between her legs again unconsciously probing but not pushing her. They kissed passionately and Raulph once more ran his hands up her thighs along her waist and to cup one breast which he massaged before gently squeezing the end of thi nipple listening to her moan at the touch. Her hand slid between the two of them to touch him but this time instead of running her fingers up and down his hard penis she guided it towards the place she was longing to feel him enter, as it touched the entrance she felt her body part for him and she gasped a little. Raulph lifted his head from the kiss and looked into her eyes, "We don't have to do this Lily, I can wait." But she silenced him by searching out his lips to continue the kiss and then by pushing gently on his bottom where her hands were still placed. He pulled his head up once more and looked into her eyes, "Are you sure?" he asked tenderly and she nodded her head while simultaneously pushing on his bottom again, he returned to kissing her again and then felt him enter her slowly and carefully.

She gasped again as she heard Raulph groan, for a moment she felt pain but he was tender and gentle moving himself in and out of her and after a few seconds the pain was replaced by pleasure as his movement increased in speed and Lily groaned deeply with each thrust inside of her, her back lifted up and Raulph slid his hand beneath her to hold her close as he lost himself in the beautiful woman he was deeply in love with. Lily felt every thrust going deeper and deeper inside of her as wave after wave of pleasure began to wash through her body, as she reached a new height she heard Raulph groan loudly as he pushed himself harder than he had done do far and she cried out as he seemed to slam into her. Then she felt him shudder again before collapsing gently on top of her, his head on her chest and his arms wrapped around her clasping her tightly against him. Her own heart was beating wildly and for a few moments they lay holding each other listening to their breathing and not saying a word, she kissed the top of his head where his tousled hair parted and she ran her fingers through it.

It was another ten minutes before either of them spoke and it was Raulph who did it first, he looked up into her eyes searching for her understanding, he saw it immediately and he smiled up at her, "Are you alright?" he whispered lifting his weight from her body and turning them both so they slid onto their sides facing each other. He reached up to stroke a stray hair from her eyes and put it behind her ear as she nodded and smiled at him, she had no regret at all she had been ready to go as far as she could with Raulph, to be as close to one person as it was possible to be and she felt happy, satisfied and in love, something she had never felt in her life before. "Lily," he suddenly gasped, "what about? I never thought to do anything, I should have stopped or or...my god what have we done?" he reached up to touch her face afraid for her that he had let himself get so carried away without thinking of the consequences.

"Shhh," she said placing a finger on his lips, "relax, it is all taken care of." He looked at her curiously and she began tp explain while tracing circles on his bare chest again. "After the other week when you had touched me I knew we would be close and that we might lose ourselves in the thrill and the need so I wrote to Dominique and she sent me something, a potion recipe which stops anything from happening, you take it every day and it means you cannot get pregnant," she assured him and he relaxed.

"You are amazing," he said, "but I'm sorry for not checking this first, I was foolish and...Lily can you forgive me?"

"Raulph I wanted to do this and like I said I have known for while that the moment would probably just present itself, I didn't want to plan it or wait for it and I would have stopped if I wasn't protected in that way, but a girl has to be smart doesn't she?" she smiled at him and he kissed her.

"God I love you Lily," he said leaning in to kiss her once more and their arms wrapped around each other again as they held each other close and thought back on the wonderful experience they had just shared. Raulph had never quite beleived people who said it was completely different making love to a person you were actually in love with but now he had just done it with Lily he could see how much more meaningful it was. He had wanted to do it for her aswell as himself, in the past it had been about satisfying his own need with a girl he found attractive, he had not used them as they had only wanted him for sex too but this was completely different, this was soulful and deep and he felt somehow connected to Lily Potter and all because of this one primal act that they had shared.

Another half an hour later they reluctantly dressed and made their way back up to the castle, it was still pitch black outside and they stuck to the shadows in case anyone saw them sneaking around in the early hours of the morning, he walked her back to the train where they enjoyed one more deep sensual kiss in the shadows, "I love you Raulph," she whispered as he turned to go back to the fortress and he looked back at her and returned the same words. She opened the train door slowly and peered into the girl's common room, it was dark and deserted so she crept through it and up the spiral staircase to her room, slipping in quietly and making it all the way to her bunk before a voice from below whispered, "Where have you been?" it was Lizzie who twitched open her drape and looked slyly at her friend, "I covered for you with McGonagall, I told her you were up here not feeling well."

"Thanks," Lily said climbing onto her own bed, "I'll tell you in the morning."

"Like I need to know!" her friend teased and reclosed her drapes so she could go back to sleep.

Lily closed her own drapes but lay awake for a while replaying the amazing night she had spent with Raulph, she had not expected to feel ready to sleep with him so soon into their relationship, but it had seemed like the right time, she trusted him completely and felt totally at ease being naked with him. She did not regret a single moment of the passion filled night they had just shared and her only worry was thinking when they would be able to do it again as it was not easy to be alone during term time.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12 – The second task

By Friday night Lily's imperious curse was strong enough to guide Raulph all the way back to his dormitory where he threw the curse and then raced back to the quidditch changing rooms where Lily was waiting, they had been fortunate enough to have them to themselves for all three nights that they had been practising. When they had seen each other at breakfast on Thursday morning there had been no awkwardness about the night before at all, they had smiled knowingly at each other and after the meal Lily had sought Raulph out on his way to a class and pulled him into a quiet doorway. There she had kissed him softly to let him know that she had no regrets about what they had done, she had seen a concerned look in his eyes but the kiss dashed it away and as she pulled away from him she whispered, "I love you," and he had smiled at her and repeated the three simple words.

Not wanting Lily to think it was all he thought about he had not pushed her to make love again on Thursday night, once they had passed the curfew again and were still practising the imperio Raulph had suggested taking a break and he invited her to sit with him on the cushions which were still scattered around the changing room. He had enfolded the girl in his arms and kissed the top of her head happy to just be with her but she had taken the initiative leaning upto kiss him and then laying down pulling the sandy haired boy on top of her again and whispering, "Make love to me Raulph."

He had looked at her to make sure she was doing this for herself and not just to keep him happy and then he had begun to take it slow, making it a sensual experience. Removing her clothes slowly he had stripped her until she was completely naked and then gazed once more in awe at her beautiful body, this time he had noticed soft freckles around her stomach and he had taken his time to kiss them gently before seeking out her breasts and nipples, Lily had tried to remove his clothes but he had pinioned her arms behind her head with one hand while exploring her body with his other, he slid down between her legs to give her pleasure without his hands and looked up at her for a second first to see that she was comfortable with it, she looked a little hesitant but nodded at him anyway and within seconds of him touching her she was gripping the sides of his head with her thighs and running her fingers through his hair as she moaned and shuddered simultaneously.

Raulph had then slowly climbed up her body and laid beside her watching her face, her eyes were closed and she was breathing deeply, he smiled and waited for her to open them and after a minute or two they fluttered open and looked at him lovingly. "Make love to me," shehad whispered again and he climbed on top of her again pushing into her gently and hearing her gasp as they rose and fell together until they both reached ecstasy, then they laid side by side until their breathing had returned to normal stroking each other and kissing intermittently.

It was the early hours of the morning again when Lily crept into the dormitory and received a friendly tut from Lizzie in the bed below but on Friday night they were confident enough with Lily's ability to guide Raulph under the imperious that they set off back to the castle an hour before the midnight curfew which sixth and seventh years had on weekend nights. They had not made love this time as Lily wanted Raulph to get a good night's sleep before the second task the next day, "Like it won't help me sleep," he had joked and she had pushed him aside but he had respected her idea and helped her to her feet before setting off back to the castle. She walked him this time to the main entrance near his dormitory as she had arranged to meet Lizzie who was in the common room with Peter and they were going to walk back to the train together, it was dark but Durmstrang was a fortress and it was not a dangerous place to be at night.

"Get plenty of sleep," she warned him as she kissed him goodnight and then the two girls turned their backs to set off across the dark courtyard and over the drawbridge where they could see the inviting Hogwarts Express waiting for them.

As they came through the main fortress entrance a figure stepped from behind the wall and blocked their path, "Lily Potter, we meet again," said the drawling smarmy voice of Rick Branton, "out so late on a Friday evening, I wonder what you have been up to!" The girls noticed him raise his eyebrow at them as he chuckled, "Maybe I'll get to find out one day," he added and cackled in an unnerving way.

"Can we pass please?" Lily said confidently.

"Hmmm," he said as if thinking carefully, "it'll cost you!" She looked at him hiding her slight fear that he might try to do something to them, "How about a kiss?" he said suddenly grabbing hold of her with his arm and dragging her towards him she tried to squirm but he had a strong grip and had pulled her close to his body as he tried to plant a kiss on her lips.

"Get off her," Lizzie shrieked looking around wildly for someone to help them but the place was deserted and she knew she would not be strong enough to fight him off herself but then he let go of Lily, having not successfully kissed her but he cackled menacingly and said, "I've told you, one day you'l see the light and move away from that Mummy's boy who daren't do a thing to offend you, I can see it in you, you're a randy little girl who wants something rough, and I'll be the one to give it to you!" he added whispering the last part in her ear so Lizzie couldn't hear. Then her stepped aside and held up his arm to let them pass and the two girls scurried away quickly in the direction of the train listening to Rick still cackling in their wake.

"Who was that?" Lizzie asked when they reached the safety of the common room.

"Rick Branton," she explained and went on to tell her the story Raulph had told her when he had first tried to touch her months ago in their care of magical creatures lesson. "But please Lizzie, don't tell Raulph about this."

"Why not? He'll kill him!"

"Exactly, I don't want him to do that, I don't want him to end up in trouble because of some slimy piece of work like Rick, he's not going to do anything in school is he?"

"It didn't stop him the last time," she interrupted, "Raulph should know."

"No," she said forcefully, "I know him, he'll do something stupid and I won't have him doing it for me. Please Lizzie, I can handle Branton," she added trying to sound confident about that.

"Fine," she replied reluctantly, "but if he trys anything like that again I won't keep my mouth shut."

"Right," she conceeded heaving a sigh of relief.

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The morning of the second task dawned and Lily woke early to retrieve the rock from her school bag, she began to trace the path they had found through the maze and imagined guiding Raulph through it, they had practised her guiding him out on the quidditch field where they had plenty of space and she had successfully done it for almost an hour. She was confident that she would be able to guide him through the labtynth completely within the three hour time limit and they thought it best that she should do it from the qudditch changing rooms. They would be deserted as everyone would be at the task spectating, the stands used in the first task had been erected again in the same place as before for the crowds to use, they had therefore decided that she would attend the start of the task and then slip off to the changing rooms hopefully unnoticed by anyone.

At twelve o clock crowds of supporters made their way down to the stands which were in the same place as they had been for the first task, Lily and Lizzie sat near the exit so she could make a quick getaway and waited for the Durmstrang headmaster to take his position at the podium. They did not have to wait long and there was a hushed silence as he began to speak, "Welcome supporters to the second task of the triwizard tournament," there was a cheer from the crowd accompanied by stamping feet and waving flags which again died down a few moments later as the Professor continued, "our champions are now inside this vast rock," he said indicating the mountain face behind them which they had had to climb during the first task, "they are inside a small chamber in the very centre of this part of the mountain. Their task is to find their way out of the labrynth of tunnels contained within the rock, a maze they have had the opportunity to study for the last few months, it is dark and dangerous and they have nothing but their wands to guide them. The first champion to leave the labrynth through this cave entrance," he pointed to a large opening behind him which no one had actually noticed yet in the cliff face, "will be awarded maximum points, followed by second and third place respectively. Champions," he said addressing the mountain and Lily assumed that his voice could be heard within it, "you have three hours to make it out of the maze, I wish you good luck in you quest, you may begin."

This was Lily's cue and she raced from the stand leaving Lizzie sat with Peter and the rest of the crowds, she reached the changing rooms within minutes and sat down on the cushions which were still scattered haphazardly where they had made love twice in the last week. Concentrating with all her might she shouted "imperio," and felt the strange sensation of her arm being in control of another being, knowing that the curse had worked she looked down at the maze of wormholes in front of her and began to guide Raulph through the seemingly endless tunnels.

In the pitch darkness of the tiny cavern Raulph waited until he felt a sudden weightlessness in his mind and then he began to obey the soft voice in his head commanding his every move, putting one foot in front of the other he allowed the voice to lead him wherever it wanted to him to go, it seemed to know what it was doing so he obeyed it's every command. He had been walking around for a while when a noise distracted him and a thought entered his head, what was it? What had made the noise? The voice wasn't telling him what to do other than walk this way and that and when something scuttled over his foot he realised that there was a threat which this voice was not warning him about. He became confused as his brain tried to tell him that he needed to do something about the thing which kept brushing his leg and within seconds he threw the imperious curse off and remembered where he was, what he was supposed to be doing and why he had been under the curse in the first place.

He tried to look around but it was too dark, his eyes could not penetrate it at all as there was not a sliver of light entering the dark corridor from anywhere, he had to think fast, they had decided that when he threw the curse Lily would wait only twelve minutes before casting it again and he would have to hope that he was still in the same place where she had felt it lift. He heard the noise again and felt a tug on his hair followed by an angry squealing laugh, a few more tugs on his clothes and skin told him that he was being attacked by pixies. They were nasty creatures and he could feel lots of them crawling around, trying to remain as still as he could so as not to move from the spot he pulled his wand from his back pocket and thrust it into the air shouting, "Imobilous," and the pulling and tweaking stopped instantly as the pixies became completely immobile. He heard them fall to the floor and knew he only had minutes left before Lily reactivated the curse and only a few minutes more before the spell on the pixies would lift, he only hoped it was long enough to keep them at bay when he set off along the tunnels again.

Back in the quidditch changing rooms Lily was watching a clock carefully, she had timed from the moment she had felt Raulph throw the curse and she had only three minutes before she needed to cast it again, she just hoped it was long enough for him to have done whatever he needed to do when he had thrown it. "Imperio," she called again when the time was up and she felt her control over him return as she began to guide him further through the maze. She weaved him in and out for a good forty minutes this time before he threw her off again and all she could do was wait the allotted twelve minutes wondering and hoping that whatever he faced was not too difficult or dangerous.

This time Raulph was facing a blast ended skrewt, he saw it shoot fire from its tail end and caught a glimpse of the whole thing when the flames lit up the thin and low tunnel he was in. He knew there was no way to stun this creature as it's thick plated shell was almost impenetrable and his only chance was to try and get past it, Lily would not be able to guide him in another direction and this was the only way forward. He prepared to entice the creature forwards by goading it and readied himself to jump past the monster when it was close enough, he only hoped it would not spew fire from its end when he did so. He shot sparks in the direction of the creatures face and saw it light up with each one, it was moving closer and closer to him and as it reached his legs he leapt into the air and thrust himself forwards with all his might. He landed on the floor and fell backwards onto his bottom but was swift enough to jump back up and out of the way before the blast of flames shot out from the monster's behind. It missed him by inches and he felt the heat which had almost caught his legs, in the light it gave out Raulph realised he was further down the tunnel than he had been when he stopped but knew there was little he could do about it, the animal scuttled away down the corridor leaving him alone and in darkness again.

He waited for the weightless feeling and began to obey its command to walk on as soon as it spoke to him, he hit the wall and almost threw the curse but knew Lily did not know how far down the tunnel he was and he refused to let his own conscience take over his mind.

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Lily could see the remainder of the path, there was little left to go and he still had a good half an hour to reach the entrance, he had thrown the curse a further four times up to now and she had waited patiently each time, she had just recast the curse and was guiding him towards the exit when a noise from the doorway disturbed her and she turned to look, it had creaked open but she could neither see nor hear anyone so she turned her attention back to the maze. A few minutes later she heard it again but she ignored it this time concentrating on what she had left to do, she was so focussed oh her task that she did not hear him approach her and it was only when his hand reached out and touched her shoulder that she was thrown off guard. The rock maze fell out of her hand and her wand dropped, she felt instantaneously that her imperius curse had dropped and she turned with her breath caught in her throat to see Rick Branton bearing down on her.

"Lily Potter, hiding out in the changing rooms instead of watching her champion boyfriend emerge from the maze," he said as he slipped the hand he had placed on her shoulder around her waist pulling her up and towards him.

"Get off me," she squealed desperately aware that Raulph would now be standing in the maze uncontrolled and with no idea of which way to go, she did not think of her own safety for a second and had not yet realised that she was totally alone in the changing rooms with this hateful boy.

"Oh, I think you were waiting here for me Miss Potter, you know I come down here and why would I want to watch the stupid triwizard tournament and waste a perfectly good Saturday afternoon? I put it to you that you were hoping to run into me here so we could have a wicked time together," he laughed and ran a finger along her cheek bone and around her lips. "Just face it Potter, you know you want me, why else would you be hiding out here?"

"I'm...I'm here for something else," she realised she could not actually tell him the real reason as imperius was an unforgivable under any circumstances, "and I did not know that you hang around here."

"Now we know that's a lie, or have you just never noticed me when you sneak off down here with Krum? Never seen me watching you? All cuddled up and cosy on the cushions over there." She inhaled suddenly acutely aware of the only two times they had been on those cushion when they had done a lot more than just cuddle, had he been watching them? Had he seen them...making love?

"I..."

"Oh don't be all shy Potter, I know what kind of girl you are, I've seen you! Not as sweet and innocent as you like to make out are you?" he said leaning his head in to kiss her on the cheek, she moved her head to the side in disgust and tried to push him away but he gripped hold of her again and pulled her close to his body, his cloak fell open and as he pressed her into him she felt something hard throbbing against her leg and she held back a gasp of disgust. He tried to kiss her again and she squirmed rapidly before bringing her knee up between his legs as hard as she could, she hit her target and Branton released her immediately as he doubled up in pain. He may have thought she was trying to pass off a sweet and innocent look but she had grown up with three fiercely protactive siblings who had shown her what to do if she was ever threatened and unable to call on anyone else for help. Grabbing the rock quickly she left him squirming on the floor and fled from the building, her heart was pounding and she was searching desperately for a safer place to continue guiding Raulph who would be wondering what on earth had happened to her.

She ran in the direction of the stands and heard a loud cheer as she approached she then heard hundreds of students chanting over and over again, "Krum, Krum, Krum," as she rounded the edge of the champions tent she saw Raulph stood on the podium with the headmaster. He looked confused but when he saw her come into view he smiled and allowed himself to be taken over to the champion's box where he had to wait for the others to emerge. Lily rejoined Peter and Lizzie and watched the entrance where moments laterTerry emerged in second place followed a few minutes later by Genevieve. The crowds cheered as the Professor announced their official places and then everyone began to drift back to the castle in their droves.

Lily waited for Raulph and after posing for a few photographs he made his way to her beaming proudly and as he reached her he whisked her up in his arms and kissed her steadily, "You were amazing," he whispered and she smiled shyly back at him, "but what happened at the end?" she hesitated for a moment, what could she tell him? If she said she had been accosted by Branton and had had to fight him off her then he would surely take his revenge and end up being severely punished if not expelled, then he would fail his final school year and be unable to finish the triwizard tournament. She had thought that she should go quietly to McGonagall and explain what Branton had done to her but if she did that he would tell the teachers that she had been out past curfew again and if he told them what she had been doing with Raulph she would be sent back to Hogwarts in disgrace and who knew when she would see her love again.

"I...I lost concentration, I'm sorry something distracted me, made me jump because I was down there on myown and then I didn't know where you would be so I couldn't put the curse back on, I knew you were close to the end when I lost it and just hoped you would be able to make your own way out," she smiled up at him and he believed every word. She would have to keep her interaction with Rick a secret but she vowed to find somewhere much more private to continue their little trysts and decided she would avoid being alone at all costs in the future so as not to place herself in the same situation again.

"I felt you remove it but after waiting for it to come back I realised something was wrong and I started walking around for myself trying to remember the end of the maze, I took a few turnings and must have chosen the correct path by luck because minutes later I saw a shaft of light creeping into the tunnels and I followed it back out, I wanted to come and find you straight away but then I saw you anyway and realised you were safe."

"Yeah, I came straight back up here once I'd lost it to see if you'd come out," she added and then he leaned down to kiss her softly.

"Thank you," he whispered before they made their way back up to the fortress where they spent the rest of the day lazing around in a small Durmstrang common room.

"I have had the most amazing week," he told her a few hours later as he curled her hair absentmindedly around his finger, he was sat in a chair by the fire with Lily leaning back against his legs her head on his thigh, she was thinking about what Branton had told her, she knew he must have seen them together and she was disgusted by the fact that her wonderful experience had been watched by the horrible boy.

"So have I," she replied shaking the thought from her head and thinking about the actual act of love that they had shared twice before the task, she turned around and looked at him with love shining from her eyes and he returned the same look, "I don't want to go to the changing rooms any more though," she said and he looked at her quizzically. "It's not private enough, I mean it was okay after curfew but we need to find somewhere more private now," she explained and he looked placated by her answer.

"That will take some doing," he said as he leaned forward to enfold her in his arms while simultaneously kissing the top of her head repeatedly, "but we'll find somewhere to be alone."

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The snow finally cleared as as the Easter holidays neared it became more and more bearable to be outside without using the warming charm, Lily and Raulph had continued to spend Wednesday afternoons hidden behind the drapes of his four poster bed sometimes working and sometimes touching and exploring each other. They were too worried about being disturbed to actually make love to one another and had not managed to do it again since before the second task, Lily was becoming increasingly frustrated about this as now she had tasted it she wanted it more and more but he refused to let her stay out after curfew and was adamant that he would not do it while they could be caught in his bed. "But the thrill is in that chance," she whispered to him one Wednesday afternoon while nibbling on his ear.

"Lily, no," he replied, "it's not that I don't want to, trust me I can think of nothing else, but if we get caught who knows what could happen to us. If you get sent back to Hogwarts I couldn't bare it, we'll just have to be patient and placate ourselves in other ways." He said rasing one eyebrow as his hand slid into her shirt and pushed her bra aside, she giggled and allowed him to touch her wishing they could take it that one step further and knowing she would have to find somewhere soon.

Branton had not been near her since the day of the second task and she hoped that the kick she had given him had shown her true strength and that he had decided to back off, she was rarely alone now unless she was in the Hogwarts Express common room and hoped that this was not the only reason she had been left alone.

There were two weeks left to go until the holidays when the students were offered a chance to visit Lisleberg again, desperate to be out of the fortress grounds for a few hours Lily and Raulph signed up immediately and agreed to go along with Peter and Lizzie for the day. It was a sunny day and the girls were excited as they saw the row of sleighs waiting to take them down to the village again and Lily's heart had skipped a beat as she remembered the antique carriage in the coaching house where she and Raulph had finally gotten together. She was still gazing at them strangely when the boys appeared and she had to shake herself from her reverie as Raulph held out his hand for Lily to alight into one of the sleighs, he then jumped in and sat down beside her pulling her close as they waited for it to start moving.

They spent a pleasant day visiting the multitude of shops in the village and then headed into the Alpine Horn for a bottle of butterbeer, after relaxing for half an hour Lizzie and Peter excused themselves to spend some time on their own and Lily asked Raulph if he would take a walk with her. They headed up the village main street once more and climbed up a set of steps at the end of the road which led up to a ledge on the mountain side, the view from the top was breathtaking and Lily sighed when she saw how beautiful it was. She stood against a small stone rail and leaned forward to gaze down on the rooftops of the village, the spring sun was shining and giving off a modicum of heat which meant that for the first time in months they weren't bundled up in heavy cloaks. From the platform where they stood the entire bottom half of the mountain could be seen leading down to the valley where a few muggle villages gathered in its shade.

"Have you ever been to any of those villages?" she asked turning to look at Raulph who was sat on a stone bench nearby he shook his head and she turned back to look at them once more. "Isn't it amazing to be out of the school grounds for a while? Just to be able to look at something else, something different even if it's only for a couple of hours," Raulph began to laugh at her as she suddenly spun around on the spot with both arms outstretched as if she had been confined inside a cocoon for months. "I wish we could stay out a bit longer, I'm tired of having nowhere quiet or private to go in school, there's always someone else there or at least the threat that someone might show up at any moment. I just want to be alone with you, like this, without anyone else nearby."

He smiled at her and his eyes lit up,"Well actually, I've been meaning to say something to you for a while"

"What?" she asked curiously.

"I'm going home for the Easter holidays."

"Oh," her face fell as she realised she would be stuck at school without him for two whole weeks.

"Don't frown," he said smiling back at her, "i was going to ask if you wanted to come with me."

"Really?" she asked enthusiasm bouncing back into her face.

"Yes," he nodded chuckling at her sudden change of facial expression, "My Dad will be away for a few days at first so we will have the house to ourselves," he went on raising an eyebrow, "but he's back on the first Tuesday and then Fleur, Bill, Dom and Louis are coming over for a week so you'll be able to catch up with them too."

"Oh Raulph," she said, "that would be fantastic! And three whole days alone," she went on smiling slyly at him, just think what we could do then!" she shivered as she thought about it and he looked at her with longing and desire. "Imperio me," she whispered and without hesitation he drew out his wand and whispered the incantation, they both enjoyed using the curse with each other now knowing how much trust they put inone another and had cast in on more than one occasion lately, they never allowed it to go on for too long usually using it to undress one another or to start touching and caressing. The castor would lift the spell within a few minutes as they did not want to be under a curse when they gave each other ultimate pleasure but they saw it as a good form of foreplay and enjoyed it immensely.

Raulph made her walk slowly towards him and sit astride him on his knee with her skirt pushed up to reveal the top of her thighs, which he placed his hands on, he had her wrap her hands around his neck and push her breasts around his face before gently grinding herself against him, he moaned softly as he began to feel aroused and wished instantly that he had not done it as they would not be able to take it any further. He then released her from the curse and lifted his eyes to gaze into her face, she was smiling back down at him with a similar look on hers. The curse had lifted but she continued to rub herself against him smiling as the desire in his eyes became stronger and stronger, "Stop it," he said without any force or command to the tone.

"You started it," she replied beginning to rub harder as she felt him harden against her leg, she pushed his head between her breasts again and held onto it knowing this would increase his arousal and then when she was sure he could take it no more she jumped up and quietly skipped away.

"Where are you going?" he called jumping up and trying to catch her but she ran swiftly back down the steps and evaded his grasp. "Lily," he called when they reached the bottom and she turned not back to the village where they had come from but in the direction of a small wooded area rising up the slope of the mountain. "Lily," he shouted again as he reached the trees, she had slipped in amongst them and he had lost sight of her. "Lily," he called once more in a louder voice and he heard a soft giggle a little further in where the trees were quite thick, "what are you..." he started to ask but then an arm flew out from his left and Lily grabbed hold of him, she dragged him up against a tree and began to kiss him wildly pushing her body against his and using his hair to pull his face close to hers. "Lily," he said through her fierce kisses, "where did this come from? What do you...?"

"I want you, now," she said breathing deeply as she pulled her head back and looked into his eyes.

"Here? But I...I didn't want to be like this with you, quick fumbles behind the coaching house and-"

"I know, but I can't stand to wait any longer, it has been weeks since those two nights in the quidditch changing rooms and while I have enjoyed everything we've done since I want to feel you like that again, I want you inside of me, and I want it now," she added forcefully reaching up to kiss him again while trying to unfasten the buckle of his belt. He wanted her just as much as she did and he had been reluctant to do it like this with Lily because it seemed to cheapen the act, make it more carefree sex than making love but he also knew they both had a need. In the past when he had done it like this it was always for self gratification and that's why he was put off the idea of doing this with Lily but she wanted it too, however it came and he realised that it would not cheapen it or change it in any way because he would still be with the woman that he loved.

He groaned as her hand reached inside his now unfastened trousers and began to stroke him through his shorts, they were still kissing furiously and Lily was using her free hand to lift the t shirt she wore from inside the waist of her skirt, his own hands came to life and began to help her hurriedly, he freed it from its binding and ran both of his hands up to cup her breasts, she moaned back at him as one hand released her bra and the other began to massage her free nipple. After a moment he lifted her up in the air and pushed her back against the tree they were standing beneath, her legs wrapped around him and he wrestled with the underwear she had on, "Tear them," she whispered in his ear as they would not release and with all reason gone to the wind he ripped the delicate lace and they fell away in his hand. She helped him pull down his trousers and shorts enough so that he could push her up against the tree and force himself inside her with one swift movement. They both groaned simultaneously and for a moment he stopped and gazed deep onto her eyes just enjoying for a second the fact that they were joined as one person, and then as a look of deep desire passed between them he began to lift her up and down and they both began to groan. It was quick and passionate and before they both knew it Raulph had pushed himself deep into her and groaned as Lily screamed out and then they both stopped moving and clung tightly to each other, she was still pushed up against the tree and Raulph was supporting her with his hands which were clutching her bottom.

They gazed at each other for a moment longer before kissing once more, this time slowly and sensuously and Raulph's arms slipped around her back and he let her legs fall to the ground slowly. The skirt she wore fell back into place and after a moment he helped her refasten her bra and tuck the t shirt back where it had been, he hastily pulled up his trousers and fastened them and then they stared at each other smiling wryly as he held up the dainty torn underwear and said, "Sorry," she laughed at him and shook her head.

"Come on," she said and reached out for his hand, "We'd better go back, the sleighs will be leaving!"

"You'd better keep your legs crossed when you get back on it," he teased and she swiped at him discarding the useless underwear near the tree where they had been and then hand in hand they walked slowly back to the village and down the street to where the sleighs were waiting.

Neither of them heard the twig snap behind them as they were still giggling about the discarded underwear, they didn't see the lone figure step from behind another tree, almost hidden from view by the gorze, and smile. The figure that had watched them from the mountain, seen him use imperio on her at the viewpoint, followed them down to the wood where he had seen them undress each other and make love against the tree where he now stood. The cloaked person leaned down and picked up the discarded item which belonged to Lily Potter, he looked at it before sliding it into his pocket and watching the two young lovers who had now almost reached the top of the village. He waited a few more minutes before leaving the wood behind them and heading for a side street to take a different path back to the Alpine Horn where he once again saw them, acting like lovesick teenagers kissing and cuddling in the sleigh waiting to take them back to the school. He watched them slyly, they hadn't seenhim, not at the viewpoint, not in the wood and not now, they were so wrapped up in each other that no one else even caused a blip on the radar. He fingered the prize inhis pocket, something else to add to his growing collection, and smiled again, she would notice him soon, she would notice someone else and now he had the perfect way to do it, the obvious way to get her attention. He knew he would have to wait, be patient, in fact he already knew now when the perfect opportunity would be, it was a while before he would be able to seize that opportunity, but when he did he would have her just as he wanted her and Lily Potter would succumb willingly, he now knew it.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13 – Time away

The two weeks until Easter seemed like an eternity to Lily, her best friend had been furiously jealous when she had told her she would be spending three days alone with Raulph before his father came home. She had owled her parents to check that it was alright, failing to mention that Victor would not actually be present until Tuesday and they had owled back immediately saying what a wonderful idea it was and that they would try and apparate out one day while Bill and Fleur were there to see her. She had been counting down the days and now there was only one lesson to go, Friday afternoon's defence against the dark arts. They had moved on a few weeks previously from the imperious curse which most students in the class could now throw impeccably, even Lily who had spent a lot of time lately trying not to throw the curse. She and Raulph had discussed on occasion that letting each other perform the curse the way they were would affect their ability to throw it off but they were both still excited by the prospect of allowing the other one to control them that they had decided while they were still at school there would be no threat of someone trying to curse them and had put away their fears for the time being.

Lily clockwatched through the entire lesson in which they were learning about the other two unforgivable curses and their long term effects, in the case of the Avada Kedavra irreversible death but they were looking at the terrible case studies on the Cruciatus curse which had tortured many people into insanity, including the in laws of her Godmother Luna Longbottom. She already knew the story of Professor Longbottom's parents but today they were learning about them along with a few other remarkable cases where the mind had actually returned many years after the torture and Lily thought it such a shame that Neville's parents had not been that lucky.

By half past two she could have sworn that the hands of the clock were moving backwards and she tried to throw herself into making notes on the effects of the cruciatus curse as their professor had instructed them. Everyone had a little holiday fever in them and as it was the last lesson of the term for many students they were all finding it hard to concentrate and so after a valiant effort at getting them to work Professor Graudin gave up and excused the students fifteen minutes early from the class. Lily's books were packed away and she was practically chasing down the corridor mere seconds later with Lizzie hurrying in her wake, "Excited much?" she panted as she caught up with her friend who had already reached the outside courtyard. Lily looked pointedly at her before bursting in to fits of giggles and then they slowed down a little but still made it back to the train within a few minutes.

As it was a holiday and not the start of a new year the students were allowed to floo to their homes through the fireplace in the great hall, Lily was meeting Raulph at four o clock and she spent the following hour checking she had packed everything in her trunk that she needed and pacing the room waiting for the clock to turn.

"Well you could act like you're going to miss me," Lizzie joked and Lily turned to look at her with an embarrassed smile.

"I'm sorry," she replied taking a seat on her friend's bed, "I'm just excited, we never get any time alone and well..."

"I know, I know, three whole days with no disturbances!" she rolled her eyes at her friend and then added, "I'm jealous as hell!" and they burst into fits of laughter again. "So," she went on drawing the drapes around them, "do you think you'll...you know," she lifted her head to look knowingly at her friend and was surprised when her Weasley redness came out, "Oh my God, you already have haven't you?" she giggled and the red faced girl nodded. "When? How? What was it like? Oh my God, Lily Potter I never thought you had it in you!"

The rest of the hour passed quickly as Lily filled her friend in on the two wonderful nights they spent in the quidditch changing rooms, omitting the fact that Rick Branton may have seen them and failing to tell her about the time in the woods of Lisleberg. Before they knew it the two girls were hugging goodbye and Lizzie waved her off from the main door of the girl's common room hoping that as school would be quieter for a few weeks she might be able to get Peter alone long enough to catch up in the relationship stakes with her friend.

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"Raulph this place is beautiful," Lily said admiring the carved and inlayed ceilings of the tall Georgian townhouse. They were stood at the foot of a central staircase which ran in a square shaped spiral from the ground floor to the fourth storey. Each room was exquisitely decorated with period features including deep coving, enormous marble fireplaces and crystal chandeliers which held hundreds of candles.

"My mother decorated it before she left," he said, "come on, let's look upstairs," he went on taking hold of her hand and flying up them two at a time, she followed him still gazing in awe at the magnificent furniture and decorations as they reached the landing of the first floor. "That's Dad's room," he explained pointing at a door ahead of them, "well suite actually. These are all spare rooms on here," he indicated a couple of other doors, "Fleur and Bill usually stay in there, Mum decorated it to her tastes specially! Up again," he said tugging gently on her arm once more. On the third floor were identical doorways in the same place they had been on the floor below, "This is my room," he whispered nodding at a room directly above his father's and opening the door. Lily gazed around at a huge high ceilinged room which had a large four poster bed in the centre of the opposite wall there were two almost full length windows on either side of it covered by heavy dark brown curtains. The room was less decorated than the others with period features and there were a few fading quidditch posters attached to plain pale beige wallpaper. On one wall there was a large armoire and on the opposite one a mahogany desk, next to the desk was another door which Raulph opened to reveal a marble white bathroom with a huge deep bath stood in the centre of it on heavy iron feet.

"This place is amazing," she said turning back to look at the four poster bed hung with drapes which matched the ones at the window it had a carved wooden bedhead with the initials RVK it and Lily was prompted to ask, "is your middle name Victor?" as she pointed at them.

He nodded and then took her hand again, "This way," he said as he tugged her once more across the hall to a door directly opposite to his room, "this," he said slowly opening the door, "is your room!" He looked at her and watched her facial expression change to one of awe and delight, he had chosen this room for her because he knew she would love it, it had been his mother's for a while when she and his father had been trying to work out their marriage shortly before they split up, she had had it redecorated more to make herself feel better and the room had not been used at all since she had left.

Lily gasped. The floor was carpeted in a thick creamy pile which seemed to bounce beneath her feet as she stepped inside, two more long windows like the ones in Raulph's room were on the opposite wall with a much larger four poster bed between them. The drapes on both the bed and at the window were made of cream silk with delicate embroidered flower patterns which weaved in and around each other, the bedding matched exactly and Lily could see a multitude of matching high fluffy pillows and cushions placed on top. A large mahogany armoire with a matching set of tall drawers stood on the left wall with a long dressing table on the one opposite, there was a cream crushed velvet chaise longue under one window edged in gold brocade and above the dressing table was a painting of a large white French Chateau. "Raulph this is beautiful," she whispered barely audibly as she stepped towards the bed and felt the bouce of the pillows and bedspread, he smiled at her and then walked up behind her where he began to kiss her on the neck. Her creamy skin seemed to match the creaminess of the room and he was lost in it for a moment until a loud rumble indicated that Lily was hungry and she turned with an embarrassed smile to see him chuckling at her.

He made pasta and sauce and the two of them sat at the long wooden kitchen table eating and talking quietly, Raulph had brought a bottle of wine from the cellar and they were thoroughly enjoying the fact that they were alone for the very first time without the threat of anyone coming in. When they had finished eating they went into the drawing room where Raulph stoked the fire and they laid on the rug in front of it eating strawberries and kissing each other intermittently, for once not thinking about what time it was and whether they had to be back in their dormitories soon. He lit the chandelier when it grew dark and they played chess on the small coffee table both sat cross legged on the floor, Lily won the game and Raulph pouted so she kissed him tenderly before yawning loudly and making him laugh.

"Perhaps it is bedtime," he said as he packed away the game and settled the fire so it would burn itself out, "come on," he went on holding out a hand so he could pull her to her feet. They walked hand in hand up the stairs to the third floor where Raulph paused outside her bedroom door and kissed her longingly, he was not sure whether to suggest sleeping together tonight, it had still been a few weeks since the last time time they made love and that only made it three times in total so after ending the kiss he whispered, "Goodnight," and headed in the direction of his own room.

She watched him go and then inwardly kicked herself for not asking him to stay with her, why had she been so shy about it? Was it because they were not struggling to be alone? Or was she nervous about spending an entire night with him? She turned to walk into her room and rummaged through her trunk for a silk negligee which she wore to sleep in at home, it was knee length with the bust sewn into it, it fitted snugly around her breasts and waist then fell to her knees in folds where it was trimmed with lace. She turned out the light and was about to get into bed when she heard a noise outside her door, running to see what it was she saw Raulph disappear back down the stairs with a candle in his hand, he came back up a moment later and stopped on the top step when he saw her in the doorway. The moonlight from windows in her room shone through the white silk material showing her every curve, "Raulph," she whispered, "stay with me," and she held out a hand to beckon him towards her. He blew out the candle he was holding and droped it on a chest of drawers at the top of the stairs before walking steadily in her direction, he lifted her into his arms as he reached the door and kissed her softly as he carred her into the room and over to the bed. He dropped her on it and began to undress himself discarding his clothes on the chaise longue and climbing onto the bed beside her, she watched his every move and turned on her side to face him as he lay down, then slowly and gently they began to kiss and touch each other.

Remembering what the other person liked they carefully and slowly touched and caressed each other in certain places taking their time to make love properly without any worries or interruptions, he lifted the negligee over her head and kissed every part of her body which shone in the moonlight from the window, bringing her to heights of pleasure first with his fingers and then with his tongue, he listened to her moaning and screaming loudly, finally able to make as much noise as she needed to. She looked down at him afterwards as he climbed up her body and turned her over so he could take her from behind. His moves were slow and sensual for a few minutes but as her screams became deeper and louder he stopped, teasing her with the occasional thrust which made her moan and beg for more. Eventually he could hold himself off no longer and together they groaned loudly as he wrapped his arms around her body squeezing her tightly with his hands cupping her breasts and then collapsing happy and satisfied on top of the lithe young body. They rolled onto their sides, legs entwined together, Raulph curled around behind and still inside her and he kissed her neck and shoulders with short soft kisses. They fell asleep in the same position some time later and slept peacefully completely satisfied and alone, knowing that for three days they had no one to answer to.

They woke the following morning still curled up in the same position, Raulph opened his eyes first and lifted his head to gaze down at the beautiful young girl still in his arms, her hair tumbled over her shoulder and covered her breast which his hand came up to massage. She felt her arousal and stirred slowly feeling a hardness growing against her bottom, she moved herself effortlessly so they could make love again with their eyes closed and their bodies moving slowly until once again they groaned and shuddered simultaneously. A few minutes later Raulph rolled onto his back and stared at the top of the bed, Lily turned over to face him and began to trace circles on his chest, sunlight was streaming through the windows and she lifted her head onto his chest to look out at the glorious day. "I love waking up with you," she said and he nodded his agreement pulling her tightly into his arms as he did so.

"Me too," he whispered kissing the top of her head. "What do you say we just stay here today?" he suggested and she nodded enthusiastically. They had no where to go, no where to be and no one to be with but each other and so rising to get them some food Raulph brough up a tray of cereal, toast and juice which they finished quickly before snuggling back up in the bed, completely naked, talking about anything and everything.

A few hours later their stomachs told them that they had to eat and Raulph went to prepare a few sandwiches for lunch, when they had eaten they slept for a while waking as the early evening sun began to set. "I'd love to take a bath," Lily said yawning and stretching once they had both opened their eyes, "it's been such a long day," she joked.

"Take one in my bathroom if you want to," he suggested, "the bath is deep and you can fill it with bubbles!"

"Will you join me?" she asked demurely and he looked at her with a curious expression.

"That would be new," he smiled and then added, "come on," still naked and hand in hand they ran across the hallway to Raulph's room where she laid on the bed while he set the bath running in his own bathroom. He came out a few moments later with a fluffy bath robe and wrapped her up in it while she waited for the bath to fill, she could smell something masculine wafting in from the room and she inhaled it deeply wanting to remember the smell so it would remind her of him.

When the water stopped running she walked over to the bath where Raulph was swirling bubbles around, he had lit a few candles in the room and as the sun was now setting outside they cast a soft glow over the tiles making them appear to shimmer. He held her hand while she climbed into the bath and she sunk into the deep water, she was completely submerged and only just touching the bottom of the tub, the bubbles tickled her nose and she giggled softly, "Are you coming in?" she asked with the same demure look on her face. With little hesitation Raulph climbed into the tub with her and she slid forward so he could sit behind her with his legs wrapped around either side of her. She laid back against his chest and sighed as his hands came around her closing together beneath her breasts which rested on his muscular arms.

They laid there in silence for a few minutes allowing the hot water to sooth them and watching the candle flames dancing and casting shadows on the walls around them, they were at peace and felt like the only two people in the whole world, Lily could not think of a time when she had ever been so deliriously happy and the thought that they had another two days of freedom ahead of them only made it seem more like paradise.

They began to wash each other with soapy hands, tilting her head back against him he massaged her hair and head with his hands before washing out the soap then he slowly washed every part of her body, lifting her legs up one at a time out of the water so he could run his soapy hands down them, eventually he made his way to her breasts which moved around in his slippery hands making them giggle as he tried to get a firm grip on them. She returned the gesture when she washed him thoroughly from head to toe having the same trouble when she reached down to wash him privately and found that he too kept slipping way from her. However the task became much easier as he began to harden under her touch and within a few minutes Raulph had pushed his head back against the rim of the tub and was moaning softly under her touch. She was sat up on her knees facing him and he reached out to stroke her soapy breasts again while she continued to stroke him up and down rhythmically, after a few minutes he lifted her up and lowered her onto him making her gasp as he entered her, she flung her head back in pleasure as he began to lift her gently up and down above him their bodies sliding easily against each other. It was slow and deep and they both moaned as they moved together with the water to hold their weight. It was different and new but no less pleasurable than any other time they had made love and afterwards Lily laid down against his chest with her arms wrapped around him in the water.

They stayed there until there skin was shrivelled with moisture only deciding to get out when the water began to cool and Lily started to shiver because her wet hair and back were out of the water. Neither of them had spoken and when they climbed out Raulph wrapped her back up in the fluffy dressing gown and they walked hand in hand once more back to the room where they had spent the entire day laying back on the bed and this time just talking to each other curled up at opposite sides of it wearing just bath robes and whiling away the night with hopes and dreams and discussions about their childhoods.

It was already past midday when they woke and they both decided that another day in bed, though fun in itself, might be a waste of their time alone outside of school. Raulph returned to his room to dress and said he would be back in half an hour to take her out for the day, he told her to dress in muggle layers and have comfortable shoes on but he would elaborate no further as to where they were going.

At one o clock Raulph opened the front door to the house and offered his hand to Lily as she stepped down the four steps which led down to the road. Even the outside of the house was impressive and highly decorated, it was surrounded by a low stone wall with iron railings all of which were twisted into knots which straightened out again and were topped with a fleur de ley, painted gold. The brickwork was thick and symmetrical with heavier stone around the edges, along the roofline and round all the windows which were painted white and stood out magnificently against the weathered stonework. It was quiet in the street outside and as they stepped away from the edge of the bottom step, unlike her own home it did not disappear once you left it and she had to keep gazing back to see what it looked like from a distance as they walked along the road and passed other houses built in the same way.

Raulph and his father lived in the middle of a bustling muggle city, their street was relatively quiet but they were not far from the busy urban centre of the cosmopolitan place. They had only walked two streets from the house when they turned into a market square where people were calling their wares at the top of their voices. Lily goggled at them as she passed stalls selling herbs and spices, traditional cured meats, fruits and vegetables and a variety of others selling almost everything imaginable from clothes and shoes to jewellery and fancy gifts. They stopped at a few stalls so she could gaze at their interesting wares and Raulph bought her a carved silver trinket box using muggle money which she found very curious indeed, she kissed him quickly in thanks but then turned her attention back to the different things that she could see. She felt like a child in a toy shop, not sure which way to turn and wishing she could have ten more pairs of eyes just so she could see everything. Raulph laughed at her a lot but it was the first time she had ever been in a muggle shopping place and she had never visited a proper market before so she found it all fascinating and intriguing.

He eventually got her past the market and they continued down a smaller street passing shops with large glazed windows housing clothes, shoes, muggle electrical items and a whole host of other muggle things which she had to stop and look at. There were only ten shops on the street but it took them almost half an hour to reach the canal at the bottom, here Raulph took her arm in his and led her along the path which wound its way down the bank of the canal. They walked on the path arm in arm looking at the wildlife living in the trees and bushes dotted here and there along the bank, a few barges passed them as they walked, chuffing slowly and causing soft ripples to flow in diagonals from the back of the boat. They walked right to the end of the canal which opened up into a large river where there was a long continental promenade cobbled from one end to the other and lined with small cafes and boutiques, right on the banks of the river were artists selling their masterpieces and creating new ones as they sat in the mid springtime sun. They stopped to look at a few before Raulph guided her to a small cafe where he ordered coffees and cream buns, "This is such a beautiful city Raulph," Lily said when they were seated, "you are so lucky to have grown up in such a bustling and lively place."

"Says the girl who grew up in England's capital city!" he replied.

"Yes but we never went out into London, my Dad doesn't even like us going out of the front door so we have always flooed straight to places we visit, the Burrow, Fleur and Bills, Diagon Alley, the only time we ever saw anything of the city was when Dad borrowed cars from the Ministry to take us to Kings Cross on the first of September every year and even then we took all the back streets. Being able to walk around the city like this seems amazing to me," she smiled at him.

"Well there is much more to see yet!" he said vehemently, "I fear we may be in for another late night!"

They sat and enjoyed their drinks while looking out over the river, boats were ferrying up and down it, some carrying large cargo, others simple pleasure boats full of people enjoying the first rays of warm spring sunshine, when they were ready Raulph paid using his stash of muggle money and they set off again arm in arm to explore the rest of the city.

He took her to galleries where they stared at paintings by famous artists which she had read about but never seen, museums where she learned more about muggle history than she had ever known and large shopping centres filled with every shop imaginable where Raulph almost lost her a few times as she wondered off gazing wildly at anything and everything. After stopping in a quiet French restaurant where they ate snails and big juicy steaks Raulph took her to a cinema where Lily got so excited he almost had to take her back out again. Her cousin, Vernon, had told her about cinemas, he had said they were like televisions which at the time she had never heard of either and though he had promised to take her to a muggle cinema once they had never actually got around to it.

She was in complete awe at the way a moving picture telling a story played out on the screen, she was used to moving pictures but only photographs which repeated the same few minutes or seconds of movement over and over again, this was a two hour long picture with sound and special effects. Raulph chuckled at her when she thought all the stunts and images were real and he had to explain a little about how muggles enhanced them with their own technology.

When they left the cinema and began to walk back through the city Lily asked, "How come you know so much about muggle things and how to act in a muggle city?"

"My mother grew up completely isolated from muggles and their ways, she and Fleur never went near any muggle buildings or places and so when she married my father and moved here to the middle of a muggle city she felt a little scared about going out in the streets. However she preferred not to use floo or apparition unless she really had to as she liked to be out in the fresh air going from place to place. My father took her out into the city and they began to interact with some muggle ideas, they would eat in the restaurants and use some of the shops and she loved the market just like you did! So when I was born my mother didn't want me to end up like her, we were living in this muggle city so she didn't see why I couldn't be brought up to be familiar with it. As soon as I was old enough to control my magic and realised why it was important not to let muggles know we were wizards she would take me to the shops, the market, the cafes and occasionally to the cinema as she too loved the way it worked! It seems completely natural to me just like the wizarding world and I suppose I could fit quite easily into either one if I needed to. I'm surprised though that you didn't interact more with muggle life what with Vernon being muggle born."

"I know, they wanted him to stay in with the muggle world especially before they found out he was a wizard but once he had settled in he didn't want to have anything to do with them, Mum and Dad decided if he was happy then he would have to live like a squib in our world but then when his letter came from Hogwarts and we all found out that he was a wizard he just decided to leave it all behind completely! He has a small fortune almost in a muggle bank somewhere that his parents left him but he just leaves it there, my parents took him on as their own child and they gave him everything he needed."

They were winding their way slowly back to the Georgian townhouse as they continued their talk both wrapped up a little against the cooler night air but still enjoying its freshness, there were lights out on the river signalling boats and occasional dangerous underwater areas and they stopped for a while on the edge of the bank just to stare at them. It was a crystal clear night and the stars shone brightly in the midnight sky, Lily found herself hunting for familiar constellations as Raulph put his arms around her and hugged her close to him.

"These few days have been amazing Lily," he whispered in her ear, "I feel so comfortable with you absolutely anywhere and I love you so much. If this is the kind of love my father let slip away then he was stupid to do it, I want to be with you forever." Then he nuzzled behind her ear ad she sighed softly smiling knowingly and thinking that she felt exactly the same way. She only wished that they could freeze this weekend in time so they would always be alone and together.

It was almost two o clock when they went back to the house and they collapsed into Lily's bed still fully clothed dropping to sleep almost as soon as their heads hit the pillows. They curled up around each other again and slept peacefully until early morning waking as the sun shone through the bedroom window making them get up briskly determined to enjoy one last day of being alone and free.

They spent the day exploring more of the city and visited the wizarding part of it by going through a pub similar to the Leaky Cauldron and Lily had to wonder if pubs were the easiest way to access hidden wizarding streets. There was a bank on the street and a multitude of magical shops selling anything and everything. It wasn't as old as Diagon Alley and the buildings were much less twisted, the main street was wider and it felt much less contained than the cobbled streets behind the Leaky Cauldron.

Returning to the house at dinnertime Raulph cooked again and then they went into the cosy living room where he lit a fire and they laid out on a thick furry rug in front of it. Lily had bathed again while he was cooking and was wearing only the simple nightgown she had worn on the first night. She was snuggled into the crook of Raulphs shoulder as they stared up at the ceiling and talked about nothing in particular. A few candles burned in the chandelier above them but most of the light came from the flickering flames in the grate which highlighted Lily's gown making it almost transparent, Raulph stroked her waist with his hand as they stopped talking and began to listen to each other breathing.

A short while later Lily leaned up on her elbow and whispered to him, "Imperio me, make me do something," she eyed him seductively.

"Like what?" he asked with an intrigued tone in his voice.

"Surprise me," she replied lifting her eyebrows along with her flimsy night gown, she wore nothing beneath it and Raulph felt himself become instantly aroused. He lifted his wand and cast the imperius curse over her, she immediately became limp and he felt the familiar sensation of having another limb to control, he thought for a minute about what they could do and then slowly he made her kiss him on the lips, on the face and all the way down his chest slowly and seductively making her way to the hard, throbbing part of his body which was aching to be touched by her. He made her tenderly run her tongue up and down him flicking the end gently before taking him completely in her mouth, he found it hard to keep his focus on the curse as he began to feel pleasure he had never experienced in such a way before and after a few minutes of soft moaning he commanded her to rise above him and sit herself astride him on the floor, her knees on the carpet and her body upright. Reaching out to hold her breasts in his hands he made her lower herself onto him and begin to rise up and down slowly at first but then building in speed, completely unaided by him in any physical way.

As the pressure began to rise in him his control over the spell fell away and Lily momentarily stopped moving as she came back to her own senses and realised what was going on, she looked at him with nervous eyes, she was unsure of what to do but he groaned and encouraged her by placing his hands above her hips and lifting her body up and down for a while increasing the pace until she was confident enough to carry on without him. She moaned too and together they fondled each others bodies until Raulph was close to exploding inside of her, she was slowing down with fatigue but he needed it to continue with force and vigour so in one swift movement her grabbed her around the waist flipped her onto her back and pushed into her with a force which made her gasp loudly as he groaned deeply and held his position above her for a few seconds before laying down on top of her enfolded in her warm arms breathing deeply and listening to her heart beating against his own chest.

Dragging a throw from the sofa beside them Raulph rolled onto his back where he wrapped the cover around them and they fell asleep in each others' arms still in front of the slowly dying embers of the fire. They had spent three perfect days together and they had ended them perfectly with another exhilarating session of love making incorporating the exciting imperius curse.

Raulph was woken first the next morning by a whooshing sound nearby; he began to come round slowly and turned his head in the direction of the noise which was followed by a loud gasp which woke Lily too. The two lovers sat up quickly as realisation dawned on them, they had fallen asleep unclothed by the fire in the living room and someone had just flooed into the fireplace behind them. Holding the sheet against her naked breasts Lily turned to face the fireplace just as another whoosh sounded followed by a groan as the new arrival bumped into the first visitor who was still stood in the grate staring in deibelief at the scene in front of him. The two teenagers lifted their faces simultaneously to look into the upset and disappointed emerald green eyes of Harry James Potter who was helping his wife to steady herself behind him while still staring at Lily and Raulph.

"Daddy," Lily gasped in horror.

"Mr Potter," Raulph said in an equally horrified voice.


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: Thank you for my reviews, glad people are liking the story! Bit of a cringe factor ending on the last chapter but this one shows you how Harry felt about it all!**

Chapter 13 – Family times

"Harry," Ginny said tentatively as she closed the bedroom door behind her and walked over to where her husband was sat on a window ledge staring out at the street below.

After a few awkward moments in the living room Victor had flooed onto the scene and glanced from his son to the pretty young girl wrapped in his throw and then to her parents who he had ushered out of the room quickly with a, "I'll...I'll show you to your room shall I?" and they had followed him wordlessly from the living room leaving the two lovers alone again. Harry had still not actually spoken since he had left the living room and sensing that he wanted a few minutes alone Ginny had decided to check on her daughter whom she found in the bedroom next to theirs, when she walked in Lily was dressing quickly, tears running softly down her face. Ginny had stepped forward to hug her daughter and had trid to reassure her that what she was doing was completely natural and that her father was just upset at having been presented with it in such a way, they had then discussed things for a few minutes before Ginny had decided to broach Harry about it all.

"She's still your little girl," Ginny added placing her hands on his shoulders in a comforting way.

"But, she's still at school," he whispered in a low voice, "she shouldn't be doing things like...like...that. She's not old enough."

"Darling, she is of age now in the wizarding world whether she is at school or not and she says that she loves him."

"That's nonsense, she isn't old enough to know what love is!" he barked still not takinghis eyes from the quiet street below.

"Harry," she looked at him sternly but spoke with a soft voice, "how old were we when we fell in love?" He then turned his head and looked sheepishly at her, "I think I loved you the day I first met you."

"Okay, but we never...we never did...did that while we were still at school."

"And you think that is because we didn't want to? If you remember, Darling, when we were her age you were running off saving the world when we should have been sneaking around Hogwarts looking for places to be alone and intimate."

"But still at seventeen Ginny?"

"How old were you when you came back from the war?" he didn't answer her immediately but turned back to the window so she repeated the question, "How old were you Harry?"

"Seventeen," he whispered barely audibly, "and almost eighteen," he added with a vehement tone.

"And I was still sixteen, yes I was not far off seventeen but I was still younger than Lily is now."

"But we still didn't do anything when I came back." He retorted looking at her again.

"Harry," she said sitting on the windowsill beside him and taking his hands in hers, she gazed up into his bright green eyes which were filled with disappointment, it still amazed her sometimes how much she loved this man and she had a sympathy for her daughter who was suddenly falling in love with someone just like she had with Harry. "If you'd come to me after the war, or I'd gone to you and we had explained our feelings to one another instead of waiting four years do you really think it would have been long before we ended up in bed together?" He looked at her without replying, "And even when we had finally admitted our feelings to one another how long did we wait? Half an hour? If that!"

"But we were older then, Ginny, it was different I would never have taken advantage of you when we were young even if we had admitted our feelings earlier."

"Harry, I know you wouldn't have taken advantage of me, but we would still have done it because we both would have wanted it."

"No..." he drifted off sounding a little unconvincing.

"Yes we would," she said more forcefully, "and you know it, Harry." He looked like he believed her but was trying desperately not to. "Our daughter is a young woman now and she's in love just like we were and she has given herself to the man that she loves," he winced as she said it. "I envy her," she added and Harry looked up into her eyes with a confused expression.

"Envy her?" he asked quizzically.

"Yes, do you know how much I would have loved to give myself to the man I loved?" she reached up and stroked his cheek softly.

"But you did," he said still with a puzzled expression on his face.

"Eventually," she said smiling, "but not the first time, the first time was with someone who I never really loved, someone I thought I could love and I did care for him and it was always pleasant but it was never like it is with you," she gazed wistfully as if remembering a harrowing time. "It was never special because it wasn't with you and no matter how hard I tried to convince myself that it was special, I never got over the feeling that I should have waited."

"You never told me that before," he said stroking her cheek softly and kissing her gently on the lips.

"I've never needed you to understand women before," she said with a knowing smile on her face as he pulled away, Harry's expression relaxed a little and he lost some of the disappointed look from his eyes. "Harry, she is not a child anymore, no matter how much we want her to be, she is a grown up young woman with feelings and needs just like anyone else her age, she is not a silly teenager who will throw her life away getting pregnant at seventeen, they have been careful and we have to trust her. I know it's hard for you as her father to think of her as anything other than the four year old girl you used to swing around the kitchen and lick the bowls out with when I had finished baking, but she has grown up and she's not that little girl anymore. And you have to give her a chance, you have to trust her to be mature, I know it wasn't exactly pleasant flooing in on them like that but it's done now and you have to let your daughter know that you still love her."

"Of course I still love her," he said staunchly, "surely she knows that!"

"Yes, she does, I didn't mean to say that, I meant you need to let her know that you are not disappointed in her and that you approve of the young man she has chosen to fall in love with, he too is waiting out there feeling like he's going up against an army firing range."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked naively.

"He's just been caught in a rather compromising position with your daughter and he's terrified of what you're going to do to him," she smiled.

"But, I'm not going to do anything to him am I?"

"He doesn't know that!"

"But he's known me a long time, he knows what I'm like."

"Yes, but he's only known you as Harry, his Uncle's brother in law, now he needs to get to know you as his girlfriend's father."

"Am I going to be that different?" he asked with a puzzled look on his face.

"Harry," she laughed, "can you remember our wedding day?"

"Of course," he said a familiar guilty frown crossing his face as he did so.

"And do you remember how you felt after you'd turned up and we were going into the kitchen at the Burrow to tell everyone?"

"Oh," he said realisation dawning on him.

"You were as white as a sheet," she chuckled.

"Well maybe it will do him good to think that for a while maybe I should be tough on him if he's going to date my little girl." He said defiantly.

"Like my brother's were with you?" she asked raising an eyebrow.

"Well...well no, no they weren't."

"No they weren't because they knew I loved you and that you were only doing the best for me no matter how much it hurt me, and also because they knew I would kill them all if they were mean to you!" He smiled knowingly at her, "And that's exactly what Lily would do too," she added, "Harry he's a good boy and we've known him a long time, he's intelligent and strong and he's in the triwizard tournament, there's something that you have in common at least. Give him a chance Harry and let your daughter know that you are happy for her," she finished standing up and walking over to the bed. He rose and walked over to her catching her by the arm and spinning her around to face him and wrapping her up in his arms.

"Why didn't we stop after the boys?" he asked her sighing.

"Because you wouldn't be without her for the world," she smiled back at him.

"You're so sensible Ginny, what would I do without you?" he asked pulling her into a tight hug and then kissing her fiercely finally feeling better about the situation with his daughter.

"Probably lock your daughter away in a cage for the rest of her life, or at least make her wear a chastity belt!" she chuckled as he laid her back on the bed where they lay for a few more minutes until he felt ready to face Lily and Raulph.

"Lily," Harry said softly as they entered the living room she was sitting on a sofa with Raulph and he was stroking her hand in a comforting way, it looked as if she had been crying.

"Daddy," she replied looking up at him through giant eyes.

"Lily," he beagn looking down at her with a soft look on his face, "you are a grown," he swallowed before continuing, "woman, and you have every right to live your life the way that you want to now that you are of age but you have to remember that I will always think of you as my little girl so if I am a bit stern at times it's because I still think you are the four year old I used to swing around the kitchen," he smiled wistfully before continuing. "But I know you're not that four year old girl anymore, you're a beautiful young lady who deserves to be happy with someone that you love." He smiled at her as her eyes began to shine with tears again, "Sweetheart, I am not disappointed in you, I would never be disappointed in you," he went on holding out his arms to her and she stood up to hug her father. He squeezed her tightly and whispered, "I've missed you," and then she pulled away to give her mother another hug. As she did so Harry stepped towards Raulph who stood up quickly and waited nervously for him to speak, "Raulph," he said and then held out his hand, "good to see you again," Raulph shook it enthusiastically and Harry began to chuckle as he turned back to his wife.

"Did I look like this?" he asked and she nodded her head chuckling back at him as a puzzled look crossed both Raulph and Lily's faces, he turned back to the boy and went on, "if you think I'm bad you should try being faced with all the Weasley brother's when you've just almost broken their sister's heart!" Raulph smiled more because he thought it was the right thing to do than because he wanted to and that made Lily's parent chuckle even more. "So triwizard champion then," Harry went on, "you'll do for me if you want to date," he emphasised this word, "my daughter, but I can't promise her brothers will be so understanding," then he laughed again as he sat down on the sofa and Raulph looked horror struck again, "don't worry about it," Harry said gesturing for him to sit down, "Lily can handle them, and if she doesn't, their mother has a convincing way with words!"

They spent the rest of the morning sitting in the living room where they were joined by Victor who had brought up coffee and cakes, they chatted about school, the tournament and what had been going on at home while they were away but no one mentioned the way the day had begun. Harry occasionally looked over at Raulph and Lily sitting together on a chaise longue and noticed how they seemed to know each others movements and ways, they looked comfortable together just like he and Ginny did and at that moment he truly realised that his daughter might just be in love, he just hoped that she would not have to suffer the trials that he and her mother had had to in their life together. Lily was a beautiful and intelligent girl who deserved to be loved by someone who would never break her heart and the more he watched them together the more he thought it could be Raulph Krum.

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Fleur, Bill Dominique and Louis arrived later that afternoon and the four youngsters went out on their own leaving the adults to chat and catch up on life since they had last spoken. Victor had apologised to Harry and Ginny a hundered times for not letting them know he would not be at the house for the first few days of the children's holidays, he had assumed that they had approved the visit and as he had no daughters of his own he had not realised how sly they could become when it came to missing out information. They had assured him that they were not angry as they knew that their daughter was wilful and also as she was of age in the wizarding world they would not really have been able to forbid it though if they had known about the situation they would have made their feelings about it quite clear. They also assured him that they thought his son a suitable match for their daughter and at this point Bill had cottoned on to the subject they were talking about, "Lily and Raulph?" he had asked and Fleur's ears had pricked up too.

"Yes," Harry replied not elaborating on the compromising position they had been caught in.

"Oh Ron will be pleased!" he chuckled and they all burst into fits of laughter as they tried to imagine the look on his face when he was told that one day Victor could become even more a part of their family.

Out in the fields a few streets away from the house Dominique and Lily were sat on a small mound of earth watching the boys by the river trying to catch fish with their bare hands, but failing miserably.

"So, I took it from the letter that you two are serious?" the elder girl said nodding her head in Raulph's direction, every now and then he would lift up his head and smile at Lily and she would return it making Dominique's roll her eyes, "My God, you are like a couple of lovesick puppies," she teased and went on with her earlier question, "so is it?"

"Is it what?"

"SERIOUS," she shouted becoming annoyed at her vagueness, "I mean you don't need to make a contraceptive potion for NEWT level potions do you? I assumed it was because of someone special and obviously it's him!" She looked at her cousin who was slowly turning red, another Weasley trait that thankfully Dominique had avoided, her mother's genes were far stronger than her father's and most of their traits came from her apart from their love of quidditch.

"Yes," she nodded, "it is serious. Oh Dominique I know you're going to make fun of me but I really am in love with him and we've just spent the most wonderful three days alone here without our parents, it has been absolutely magical!" she squealed as the older girl rolled her eyes again.

"Well I would make fun of you if you were anyone else but growing up with your Mum and Dad I can see why you need to be all lovey and puppy dog like!"

"What do you mean?" she asked curiously.

"Well your parents still fawn all over each other like they only just met and they always have, growing up in that environment is bound to give you a different idea about love, I mean don't get me wrong I think it's sweet that your Mum and Dad are like that, but me, I can't do with it all for myself, I don't want to stare into someone's eyes like that all day long, I'd be sick!" It was true that Dominique respected her Aunt and Uncle's love for each other but her parents had not been so affectionate in front of other people, they would hold hands and sit by each other sharing the occasional kiss but they were mostly private about it and that was how Dominique thought love should be. She knew that her parents were still deeply in love but they didn't need to have it on show all the time.

"You might change your mind one day," she said staring back at the handsome man now discarding his shirt to wade further into the river.

"I hope not," Dominique replied, "anyway come on tell me more about it, how did you manage to convince your parents to let you stay here with him alone for three days?" Lily's face fell and she went on to tell the whole story of earlier that day. "You little minx," she laughed when the story was finished, "three whole days alone! And you had sex how many times?" she giggled.

"Dominique!" Lily squealed.

"Oh come on, I'll only tell Rose, she's dying for some gossip!"

"No!" Lily shrieked at her, "You can't tell Rose, she'll kill me!"

"Nah she won't she's too into this Prophet photographer that she's seeing now, she's over Raulph! Beside she's more interested in the older man now," she looked at her cousin with a glint in her eye and Lily questioned her statement with her own facial expression, "he's thirty four," she went on.

"No way! My God, what did Uncle Ron have to say about that?"

"As far as I know not a lot, she hasn't actually told them how old he is!"

"And you say I'm the minx!"

"Oh you're a minx, she's just a little slut!"

"Dom," she shrieked at her cousin.

"Well at least you're sleeping with someone that you love, she just gets infatuated with them for a bit and then they get fed up of her being so clingy and she spends three days in bed moping before embarking on the next one, I think she needs to find someone a bit more meaningful, maybe you should let her have Raulph back!" she joked cocking her head in his direction.

"No way," she replied shyly looking over at him once more making Dominique sigh. "So what have I been missing at Hogwarts?"

"Not a lot really, everyone's reallyinto this stupid imperius thing at the moment, did Mel tell you about it at Christmas?" Lily nodded her head and desperately tried not to betray with her eyes the fact that she had done it on more than one occasion too. "Completely dangerous if you ask me, I mean we're only supposed to learn it to throw the curse and then people are letting others use it on them for pleasure, I mean you're going to lose your ability to throw it off aren't you? Especially if some evil idiot decided to use it for the same thing, you'd just think that it wasn't a wierd thing to be doing so you'd carry on doing it. You haven't done it have you?"

"What? Me? No...no Mel...Mel told us about it and I said the same as you, it's stupid," she answered looking back at Raulph to hide the lie in her eyes, Dominique did not notice as she thought her cousin was looking lovingly at Raulph again and she just sighed and rolled her eyes.

They continued chatting by the small river for a couple of hours catching up on the last six months until Louis and Raulph walked over with a bucket full of tiny fish.

"And what are we supposed to do with those?" Dominique asked in a sarcastic tone after peering over the edge of the pail, "they wouldn't even feed a cat!" she laughed.

"They're not for eating," Raulph said looking maliciously at his cousin, "they are for stuffing down your trousers," he added grabbing hold of her with one arm and attempting to pull open the waistband of her trousers with the other so Louis could pour the contents of the bucket into them. She squirmed and screamed at them both for a few minutes repeatedly hitting Raukph on the chest and eventually he relented and let her go but he laughed at her heartily as she scowled sternly at him and her brother before spinning around and flouncing away.

"Oh come on Dominique," Raulph called after her as she set off back towards the house, "it was only a joke!" he added but she had already left the field where they had been and only turned around to flash a rude hand gesture in their direction.

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"That was wonderful Victor, thank you," said Ginny as she helped to clear away their plates, they had all sat in the magnificent high ceilinged dining room of the Krum house and eaten a sumptuous meal prepared by Victor himself, they retired to the living room afterwards where Raulph and Louis played chess while Dominique and Lily sat reading. The adults continued chatting amiably and it was well past midnight before anyone rose to retreat to their beds, Fleur was the first to yawn and stand up followed closely by Bill and the others seemed to follow her lead and head up to their own rooms. Lily and Raulph left shortly before her parents and were stood at her bedroom doorway saying goodnight when Ginny and Harry climbed the stairs and saw them, Lily blushed immediately and kissed Raulph swiftly on the cheek. Harry nodded at them both without a word and headed into his own room, Ginny sighed as she noticed the wistful look in her daughter's eyes and thought back on the months when Harry had been living at the Burrow shortly after his return from the war. He had been sleeping in Fred and George's old room and she had spent many moments paused on the patch of carpet outside his door wishing desperately to be able to go in and just lay in the bed with him. She felt for her daughter who watched the handsome young man walk over to his own room but then thought at least they were together, when she and Harry were under the same roof they had not even had that luxury.

In his room Raulph slowly undressed and climbed into his own cold and lonely bed he stared at the ceiling of the four poster and thought about the beautiful girl across the hall who he had spend three amazing days with even though they had ended in her parents catching them naked by the living room fire. He had known that once they arrived they would need to sleep in separate rooms and even though Harry and Ginny obviously now knew they were sleeping together he would presume they would not be happy with them doing it while they were all in the same house. That did not stop him missing her though and he knew that once they were back at school and unable to be alone at all it would be like torture for them both, it had only been a brief time and he now knew though it had been wonderful it would also make going back even harder. Rolling over in the bed he wanted to reach out and pull her thin, lithe body to his and smell her sweet aroma as he went to sleep, but he knew this was just the beginning and that it would be a long time before he could wake up in the arms of Lily Potter again.

He woke early the next morning feeling aroused, dawn was just breaking through the windows and he could feel soft hands exploring his body, one was moving up and down his chest while the other gently stroked the part of his body which was throbbing every morning when he woke. He moaned softly and opened his eyes to see a naked Lily laid on her side with her eyes wide open and a beautiful smile on her face, he was on his back propped up by a few pillows and as he returned her smile he opened his mouth to speak but she placed a finger against his lips and whispered, "Shh," then she began to kiss him gently and tentatively. After a few moments she began to trail the kisses down his neck, chest and stomach while simultaneously moving her other hand up and down bringing him closer and closer to an overwhelming feeling of passion. She was teasing him because everytime he was close she would slow the movement down until it relented a little and then she would slowly build up speed again a sly smile never wavering from her face as she looked up into his eyes everytime. Eventually her hand fell away and she climbed astride him with her knees on either side of his hips and slowly lowered herself onto him making him groan, she placed a finger to his lip reminding him that they were no longer alone in the house and as she began to rise and fall above him he noticed she was biting her lip to keep her own soft moans back. As her pace steadily increased Raulph lifted his hands to her waist and guided her a little so the work was not all on her and when he could hold back no longer he lifted his own hips swiftly banging his body against hers and a tiny cry escaped her lips as he breathed deeply and exploded inside of her pushing deeply a few more times to try and extend the pleasure a little.

They stopped moving and Lily stared down into his eyes, love shining brightly from her own, and whispered, "Happy Birthday Raulph!" and then she leaned her body forwards until their chests were touching and she kissed him tenderly on the lips while running her hands through his long thick hair. His hands wound their way around her back and he held her as close as he could get her, he had momentarily forgotten that it was his birthday but now she had reminded him he could think of no better way to wake up on his eighteenth.

"Thank you," he whispered into her ear as she gently rolled herself off him and laid back in the position where she had begun gently swirling her fingers around his chest again and peering up into his eyes, "what time is it?"

"Almost seven," she replied in a whisper, "I should get back before Dominique wakes up but I don't want to leave you." She sighed. "I missed you last night," she pulled a tiny pout as he turned his body to face hers and pulled her into that close hug he had been dreaming of all night.

"I missed you too," he said breathing in the sweet scent of her hair as he placed his face into it. "Those three days were amazing but it's going to be so hard to go back to sleeping without each other, especially when we are back at school," he groaned.

"I know, that's why I had to come across, I couldn't stand being without you, I was longing to touch you and have you touch me and instead I had to share my bed with Dominique who is not as gentle as you!"

"Lily!" he shrieked softly, "If you hadn't been talking about my cousin I could have got quite excited about that statement you know!" She chuckled at him and then they laid in silence for a few minutes just listening to each other breathing before she pulled away with a sad look in her eyes and said, "I should go back, I don't want to get caught by my Dad again!"

"Just a few more minutes," he pleaded and at his touch to her waist she relented and stayed for a while longer until she began to hear movement outside the door.

"I have to go," she whispered and he nodded at her with a pout on his own face. She climbed out of the bed and he watched her pull the flimsy silk nightgown she wore back over her head and then wrapping a thick fluffy bathrobe around herself she kissed him on the lips once more and then creaked open the bedroom door. She checked that no one was in the hallway and then shot across it to her own room leaving Raulph alone in his bed again thinking back on the wonderful wake up call he had received from the girl he loved more than anything else he could think of.

As Lily dropped the bath robe to the floor and climbed back into her bed with Dominique a sleepy voice whispered, "I wonder what you've been doing!"

"Dominique, I...I thought...I thought you were still sleeping."

"I was until you closed the door when you left, I'm a light sleeper Lily."

"Oh...I'm sorry, I...I was..."

"I know where you were Lil and no offence but I don't care! I'm not going tell your Mum and Dad that you are sneaking off to Raulph's room for...I don't even want to think about it thank you," she shuddered, "he's my annoying cousin and I still don't get what you see in him! But you do what you need to do, if you want to sneak off when everyone's gone to bed tonight and come back in the morning I'm not going to breathe a word. I'll just enjoy having this huge bed to myself," she added rolling over and staring at her slightly dishevelled looking cousin, "just don't tell me what you're doing!" she begged and then burst into fits of laughter as Lily looked sheepishly at her and tried to rearrange the tangled nest on her head.

"Thank you," Lily mouthed.

"Don't worry, I'll store it up for when I need a favour!" then she turned back over and dragged herself from the bed.

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Gabrielle joined them for the day and Raulph reintroduced Lily to her as his girlfriend, she was quite taken with the pretty young girl who she had not seen for a number of years and spent much of the day talking to her about her son. It was clear that she missed being at the house when he was there and she begged them both to come and visit her in France over the summer. They had a huge picnic at a wizard park nearby where they played quidditch, ate enormous portions of food prepared once more by Victor and celebrated Raulph's eighteenth birthday with a cake and some Weasley fireworks which George had sent along with Bill. There were many other wizards in the park, some of whom knew Raulph, and he had a good time drinking bottles of butterbear and interacting woth people he had not seen for a while. Lotte and Raulph's cousin turned up just as the sun was setting and she took Lily away into a corner to say how delighted she was that they had finally found each other as she thought Raulph needed someone to tie him down a little more.

Bythe time they returned home everyone was exhausted and they all climbed the stairs to bed immediately. Raulph walked his mother to the fireplace and Lily hung around until he had seen her off and then hand in hand they climbed the stairs and said goodnight outside her door, she had not told him that Dominique would cover for her as she wanted to surprise him and she smiled slyly as he turned his back on her with a wistful look in his eyes. She went into her own room and waited half an hour before bidding her cousin goodnight and putting on her robe, she opened the door slowly and peered out seeing no one in the hallway she sprinted across it almost without placing a foot on the floor and opened Raulph's bedroom door cautiously. She could hear his steady breathing and a radio playing soft music, she was so quiet that he did not hear her and as his back was to the door and she managed to sneak up to the bed on delicate tiptoes. He was staring at the window thinking of the beginning of the day when he felt her soft hand on his bare back, turning to face her he smiled and whispered, "What are you doing here?" but the smile on his face showed her that he was blissfully happy about her presence.

"Dom said she would cover for us!" Lily replied, "I think she just wants the bed to herself but I can think of nothing worse that that!" she chuckled as she discarded the robe and climbed into the bed next to him. He turned onto his side and looked into her eyes, "I have a present for you," she said placing a small brown box on the bedcovers between them.

"I thought you gave me that this morning," he chuckled at her.

"That was just extra!" she replied, "This is your real present, I hope you like it," she added a shy look crossing her face, "I've never had to buy anything for a boyfriend before."

"It's from you, I'll love it!" he said leaning across to kiss her as he picked up the small box. He slowly unwrapped the brown paper it was in to reveal a little purple box which he popped open with his thumbs, inside were a pair of silver cufflinks which were shaped into two bludgers he looked down at them and then back at Lily before saying, "These are brilliant! I've never had cufflinks before!"

"Are you sure?" she asked tentatively, she had been completely clueless as to what to buy him and had seen them in a shop she and Lizzie had visited in Lisleberg a few weeks earlier. Raulph and Peter had waited outside a little fed up of browsing the shops and she had taken the opportunity to buy something, Lizzie had thought them perfect but Lily had been unsure right up to the moment she had given them to him.

"Yes," he replied, "honestly, I love them!" and then he leaned over to kiss her again, tenderly, but with a passion which showed his love and desire. As his hands slid gently up the silky gown she wore she lifted her arms so he could remove it and Raulph's eighteenth birthday ended in much the same way as it had begun only this time he took his time to make sure Lily received all the pleasure before he pushed himself into her and released once more the love and passion he held for this stunning young girl.

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Ginny and Harry left with Fleur, Bill, Dominique and Louis two days before they returned to school, it was a tearful goodbye as Harry once more reassured his daughter that he loved her and trusted her even though he still missed the little girl she had left behind that year. If they had known that Lily was sneaking into Raulph's room each night they had not mentioned it and she had been safely back in with Dominique almost every morning before they had risen. Only one morning they had overslept as they had stayed up late talking and making love and worrying about how they would cope without spending so much time together when they returned to school. Ginny had knocked on the girls' bedroom door as she got up and slipped in to talk to her daughter fully waking a dozing Dominique who had managed to lie and say that Lily was in the bathroom as she had noticed immediately that the door was shut. As Ginny had turned to look at the bathroom door Dominique had quickly flicked her wand at it and magically turned on the shower which made a lot of noise. Lily's mother had then nodded her head and left the room saying she would catch her downstairs at breakfast; Dominique had waited until her footsteps had disappeared down them before she ran across the hall and tapped on the door of Raulph's room. After hearing a muffled sleepy voice call "What?" she had whispered through the door that Lily had better get up and into their shower and the dishevelled looking girl had appeared seconds later following her cousin across to their room and disappearing into the still flowing shower.

Lily had thanked Dominique for her help before she'd flooed out and promised to return the favour somehow one day and then they had been left alone for one day with Victor who had stayed out of their way for the most part and allowed them to be alone together for a final few hours. As Raulph was older he did not have a problem with him sharing a bed with Lily and they had been able to spend another night together without having to sneak around. On the morning of their last day Victor had knocked on Raulph's bedroom door and he had gone out to speak to him. They had one more day and night before they would have to floo back to Durmstrang and Lily was feeling downhearted when Raulph returned to the bed with a huge smile on his face; Lily looked at him curiously semsing that something was going on.

"Dad has to go back out for a few days," he told her, "he's leaving now and won't be home until we are back at school!" he chuckled jumping on top of her in the bed and pinioning her beneath his weight. "We have the whole house to ourselves, again!" he went on and his eyes lit up as a smile formed on Lily's face one more whole day and night alone without any parents, teachers or friends, neither of them could believe their luck and as they settled in to another session of steamy love making they both ignored the fact that the next day was going to be the beginning of something very difficult.

They made the most of the day and night staying up until the early hours making love on the rug by the fire again and using imperio for the first time since the night they had been caught. Lily was completely comfortable doing almost anything for and with Raulph now and did not feel the need to lower her inhibitions by using the curse but it was still exhilarating just to use it and she begged him to put her under it once more. This time he decided to do something a little different and he sat down in a chair while he made Lily strip her clothes and fondle herself in front of him before climbing astride him and grinding her hips against his quickly growing penis. He dropped the curse when she was completely naked and as he was still clothed she immediately put him under and made him undress himself before seeking out something to tie her hands up with. He had fastened her by the hands to a chair leg and was nipping and biting her flesh making her yearn and groan before she dropped the curse being unable to hold her concentration any longer. When he saw what she had done he looked down at her with a teasing eye and whispered, "You little minx!" before slowly and gently continuing the nibbling and biting. Realising he had her in a perfect position for some payback he started to touch her and bring her to full passion waiting until he could see in her eyes and hear in her voice that she was on the brink and then he would withdraw his fingers or his tongue and look up at her wildly. She would be thrashing around at this point and glaring at him madly, desperate for him to finish what he had started. He held it off as long as he could teasing her until he realised she had suffered enough and when she did come he was leaning across her body with his fingers between her legs and his mouth closed over her nipple. As he heard her breathing reach the right point and her body began to shiver he bit down on her and she pushed herself against him screaming out his name in a passionate voice he had never heard before. The tantalising way he had teased her and kept her tied up had made the ending worth the wait and it seemed for Lily to be more intense than she had even known it to be, she went red in the face when she realised how loud she had been but he smiled at her loving the fact that she was comfortable enough to be that free with him. Once her body had calmed down he made love to her slowly releasing himself quickly within her and then they fell asleep once more wrapped around each other under a soft throw as close to one another as they could possibly be.

They woke up early feeling a sense of sadness as they knew that the wonderful weeks were over and they had to return to their school lives for another three months, their movement s were slow as they tried to put off as long as possible the moment when they would have to enter the fireplace and return to Durmstang. Eventually they could wait no longer and with heavy hearts they pulled their trunks down to the living room and stepped into the fire one at a time throwing floo powder into the air and stating in a dull, monotone voice, "Durmstrang Academy." Lily had glanced around the beautifully decorated living room one last time before it whirled out of sight in a cloud of green flames and seconds later she had stepped out into the cold grey stone walled entrance hall of Raulph's wizarding school. He appeared behind her a few minutes later and they looked around before turning back to each other, students were hurrying through the room and as they stepped aside another figure appeared behind them in the fire, one more uniform clad student returning for the third term of the school year. Still with heavy hearts they kissed and hugged each other goodbye before Lily set off in the direction of the Hogwart's expresss to find her friend while Raulph headed for the west tower where his fellow seventh year students would probably be unpacking their own belongings if they had returned home for Easter.

Neither of them noticed the student hovering nearby when they stepped out of the fire, the one who had been planning in minute detail over the last few weeks exactly how and when he was going to get Lily Potter alone. While the school had been virtually empty he had had the perfect opportunity to weave his devilish scheme planning right down to the exact time he would need to execute the plan in order to get her tothe place they would be undisturbed before anybody even realised that she was missing. He had played the whole scheme over in his head a few times since it all fellinto place three days ago, he still had a while to wait until that precise moment when he would be able to get her away, he had planned the perfect place to take her where even if his desire ran over a little they would take an age to find her. By the time they did he would be gone and the deed would be done, no one including her wouldknow it was him, that was the brilliance of the plan, he could do it and even though she would know what had happened to her she would have no idea who he was and he would never be caught. He could even do it again, that had to be the added extra to his plot, he could do it whenever an opportunity presented itself, he would just need to be very careful to pick the right place and time when no one would miss her.

As he watched her cloak disappear out of the door he smiled to himself as he emerged from his half hidden spot, it would not be long. He stepped to the doorway and watched her dragging her trunk back to the train footsteps trudging heavily on the ground. She had probably had a wonderful time at the Krum's house and was now feeling wretched at having to return to school. He tried to imagine what they had done, what new tricks she had learned that she might be able to use on him, not that she would need to come up with her own tricks as he would have her doing exactly what he wanted her to do. He chuckled to himself as she rounded the corner beyond the drawbridge and entered the waiting train and then he made his own way slowly back to his own quarters where he could once more run the maginificent plan through his head as he waited patiently for the time to come.


	15. Chapter 15

**AN: Just a little thankyou to my loyal reviewer, hope you enjoy this chapter too!!**

Chapter 15 – The third task

Just as they had predicted returning to school was almost a nightmare for Lily and Raulph after sharing a bed together for two full weeks. Returning to a life of school lessons and crowded dormitories was like torture and by the end of the first week they were both wound up with frustration and desperate to give themselves to one another for even a short passion filled time. After the care of magical creatures lesson on Wednesday they retreated to the confines of Raulph's four poster bed where they were at least able to give each other some form of pleasure but Raulph was not prepared to compromise Lily and be caught going any further by one of his room mates. However it was not only difficult to find a place to be alone, it was also difficult to find the time to be alone, the pressure was on as their exams were ahead of them and both students were trying to fit in revision time too.

The weather had improved at Durmstrang since their return and regular sun made it much warmer so they did not have to wrap themselves up to leave the confines of their common rooms, more and more students were seen enjoying the sunshine and cool breezes in between lesson times and the common rooms were always less crowded as people gathered in the courtyard during free sessions.

After a month of being back Lily was frustrated beyond belief and begged Raulph to find them some way of being alone if he would not let her give herself to him on his dormitory bed and he relented asking her to sneak out of the Hogwart's Express one night shortly before their exams began. After curfew she slipped quietly from her bedroom wearing a bra and matching pants underneath her fur trimmed cloak, it was still cool at night and she felt warm being wrapped up inside it. She knew she was pushing her luck a little sneaking out of the train but she was desperate to make love to Raulph now that she had been used to doing it whenever they had wanted to. He had sent a note by owl earlier in the evening telling her to meet him by the door to the coaching house and as she approached she saw his figure huddled in the shadows of the doorway and smiled. He opened his arms for her as she came into sight and held her close against him for a few moments before opening the door to the coahing house and leading her down the row of sleighs to the one where they had kissed on Christmas night during the Yule Ball.

Raulph opened the carriage door and she climbed in sitting down on one velvet covered seat and letting the cloak she wore fall away a little to reveal her almost naked body beneath it, Raulph didn't notice straight away as he was lighting the candle in the bracket above the opposite seat but when he turned around and saw her looking at him through seductively fluttering eyelashes he stopped what he was doing immediately and unable to contain his own need anymore he took her swiftly.

"My God Lily," he gasped, "I need you, now!" and she giggled at him momentarily before they grappled with each others' clothing quickly and within minutes were both naked on the velvet making love like they had longed to for the last few weeks. Lily groaned loudly and gripped hold of the seat as Raulph echoed her moan and then they lay silent listening to each others' panting breaths. Neither of them noticed the single eye peering through the window of the carriage as they were too wrapped up in each other to notice or even contemplate the fact that someone might have followed them. He had seen it all, he had seen Lily's lust, her need to have the arrogant boy satisfy her in that way and the way he had been satisfied by her too, it had intensified his own need to have the beautiful dark haired girl and he had to chastise himself for wanting to run headlong into his plan almost then and there, or at least when the Krum boy had left her. But this was not the right time and he knew it, it would be worth the wait and until then he would have to patient.

He left before they sat up and quickly dressed themselves, Raulph in the school clothes he had been wearing and Lily in her underwear and cloak. They held each other for a while sitting in the seat stroking and caressing the other person's body and revelling in the rare moment of being alone. Neither of them heard the door to the coaching house close because it was too far away and he was being very careful and so they were completely oblivious as they always had been to the fact that someone was watching their every move, or rather Lily's every move.

Raulph walked her back to the coaching house doorway and after a passion filled kiss watched her walk back to the train waiting until she was safely inside before sneaking across the drawbridge and back to his own sleeping quarters. Another pair of eyes watched her go back onto the train from a different direction, these eyes barely acknowledged Raulph as the person they belonged to only had eyes for Lily Potter, daughter of the infamous killer of Voldemort, the most powerful dark wizard to ever live, and as far as he was concerned the most beautiful girl in school. He too watched her waited until she was safe before retiring to his own dormitory where he climbed into his bed and thought wistfully of the soft creamy skin he had seen in the carriage, the pert breasts which the other boy had run his hands over flicking the nipple tenderly and making her respond the way he wanted her to respond. He placed himself into the picture instead of Raulph and went to sleep dreaming of the ever closer moment when he would have his heart's desire and make love to Lily Potter away from prying eyes and with her total unwavering desire.

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As the exam week approached everyone in the sixth and seventh years seemed to go into melt down, all books were checked out of the library and the common rooms were filled with students trying to cram as much information into their heads as possible from the mountain of books pouring out of their school bags and piling up on desks beside them. Lily and Lizzie barely left the library of the Hogwart's Express only going to their lessons and the great hall for meals, she missed Raulph terribly but when they tried to revise together they didn't get much done and they had made a pact the week before the exams began to revise on their own and see each other only for dinner. He tried to get her to extend the time and spent most nights afterwards walking her back to the train just so he could spend a few more moments with her and they would linger on the doorstep to the common room until Lily could put off working no longer and would retreat with her best frined to the tall stacks on the second floor of the carriage.

On Sunday evening they decided to have a night off and the four of them, Lily and Raulph, Lizzie and Peter went out into the outer grounds of Durmstrang where some students had lit a large bonfire and were sitting around in couple and friendship groups relaxing and hoping that all the information they needed was now stocked up in their minds for the next day. The girls sat on the floor in front of the boys with their arms wrapped arms around them holding them tight, Lily laid her head back on Raulph's chest and enjoyed the soft kisses he occasionally rained on her face. They talked about nothing in particular for a while just enjoying the moment of being away from the books at last. It was almost the end of May and after exam week was the third task of the triwizard tournament which Raulph was also preparing himself for, neither he nor Lily were thinking about the week after that when she would return to Hogwarts and they would be separated by thousands of miles. They had not talked about after the tournament and both were avoiding the discussion as they did not want to consider the prospect of being without one another.

They sat for a couple of hours unaware as always that they were being watched by green envy filled eyes from the opposite side of the bonfire, by a lonely person who was hiding in the bushes nearby unseen by anybody and enjoying the evening just as he liked to be. The time was drawing ever closer and in just a few short weeks he would have her it would be he holding her tight like that and kissing her head just like he always should have, he laughed to himself and watched the four friends rise from their places and head back towards the fortress where they went their separate ways after kissing goodnight and wishing each other luck for the upcoming exams.

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A week later Lily and Lizzie stepped out of the great hall and heaved a huge sigh of relief before practically running full pelt across the courtyard, "Thank God they are over!" Lizzie squealed as she grabbed her best friend's arm and slowed her down to a walk, "It felt like this week has lasted a whole year!"

"I know," Lily went on, "at least that one wasn't too bad."

"Yeah, although I'd forgotten about the imperio curse, I couldn't remember how it felt to be under it."

"No...no me neither," Lily replied turning to look away from her friend as she recalled the almost word perfect answer she had just written having been under the imperius curse so many times with Raulph, she chuckled as she thought that as well as the fun they had had with it, the curse had also helped her pass defense against the dark arts.

"How mad will it be next year when we only have to do four subjects?" Lizzie piped up as they reached the drawbridge, "I mean I know it was hard work doing all that studying before we came here but now, only having four half NEWTs to work at, it'll be a piece of cake!"

"We'll still have to remember the stuff we did at the beginning of this year for the exams though."

"Yeah, but we'll have loads of time off to do that anyway," Lizzie giggled. As they approached the scarlet train the two girls looked up and smiled as they noticed Peter and Raulph waiting at the door to the girl's compartment.

They parted at the doorway and went their separate ways with their respective boyfriends, Lily and Raulph found a cool spot under a tree in the courtyard where they laid down side by side holding hands and watching the clouds pass by revelling in the knowledge that their exams were over.

"Are you ready for the task?" Lily eventually asked breaking the easy silence between them.

"I suppose," Raulph replied, "I don't know what this one is though do I? It's a bit like the first task again with no clue as to what is coming up, but I know I'll be alright as long as you are there to watch over me!" he grinned over at her and she pretended to stick her fingers down her throat before smiling back and allowing him to kiss her. As it always did the kiss began to stir her arousal and she longed to be able to roll Raulph over and undress him slowly before allowing him to make love to her but as was now commonplace back at school there were precious few opportunities for this and with a reluctant groan she pulled away from him and laid her head on his chest staring up into his eyes as he began to stroke her hair back from her delicate pale face.

"I never knew how frustrating this was going to be," she moaned smiling at him, "I want you again and we just can't find anywhere." He too sighed and nodded his head realising his own need to make love to the beautiful woman on his chest, she teasingly began to unbutton the top of her school blouse so he could see straight down her cleavage from where he was and as she seductively began to stroke her skin above one breast he felt his own arousal begin to grow.

"Stop it," he said placing a hand on hers and closing the blouse.

"But why?" she pouted.

"Because it only makes it harder!" he smiled and she relented.

"We need to find somewhere soon," she whispered, "I need you!" Raulph peered down and smiled at her, he could hardly believe how much he loved the young girl who he could no longer bare to be separated from and he fought desperately each day not to think about the end of the task when she would be returning to her own school for the last few weeks. He had no idea when they would see each other again after that had happened and he could tell from the wistful look that sometimes crossed her face that Lily was thinking about it occasionally too.

"We'll find a time soon," he whispered in reply. They lay under the tree for a few more hours before rising to attend dinner, as always neither of them mentioned the ever approaching day when Lily would leave, they just enjoyed being together and as alone as it was possible to be.

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All classes were at an end now that the exams were over and the students had a lot of time on their hands. Durmstrang pupils usually finished the school year and went home after the exams but as the third task of the triwizard tournament was scheduled for the week following the exams they had all stayed in residence at the school for the final undertaking and the ball which had been planned to celebrate the end of the contest.

It was the day before the final task and Lily and Raulph were once more laid comfortably beneath the large tree in the middle of the fortress's courtyard, she had her head in the crook of his arm and they were watching the clouds pass by in an azure sky, both still avoiding talking about what was going to happen in three days time. The following day was Saturday, the day of the task and Sunday was to be the day of the closing ball, an event even more eagerly anticipated than the Yule ball. Then on the Monday morning the Beauxbaton carriage and the Hogwart's Expresswould both be leaving Durmstrang to return to their respective schools and the students from the Institute would be going home for the summer and in the case of the seventh years, for good. They both knew it was fast approaching yet neither of them wanted to be the first to mention it, they both thought that if it was not voiced then it would not happen, even though this was completely untrue.

"Lily," Raulph eventually said softly after they had been laid in silence looking at each other for almost an hour. She knew exactly what he was going to say, she felt like they were in tune with each other and she could almost read his mind, "I've been trying not to think about it but-"

"I know," she cut him off, "I've been trying too." He leaned up on his side and she placed her head on the ground staring up into his eyes.

"I have to go back home first and you'll be going back to school for two more weeks but then I thought maybe I...I could come and visit you at home, I thought I could ask Aunt Fleur if I could stay with her for a while at least for a few weeks if nothing else." Lily sighed, a few weeks over the whole summer? She could barely breathe as she thought about how endless the weeks without him would feel, they had been inseparable for so long now, and when she went back to school for her seventh year what then? How would she be able to bear being away from him for so long?

"It's not enough," she replied, "I want to be with you for longer than that."

"I know, so do I," he said pulling her into his arms as he saw a few tears threaten to spill from her eyes, "I can't bare to think about being away from you for so long, but we have to be practical, you still have another year at school and I have to do...well something with my life."

"What do you want to do?"

"I was going to train at the Ministry to be an auror like my Dad, that's what I always thought but now...well now I'm not so sure it's what I want to do."

"What has changed your mind?"

"You," he said releasing her a little so he could look into her eyes.

"Me?" she gasped, "How could I?"

"It's a dangerous life Lily, I suppose you know that with your father and James, and I always thought I wanted to do it, to go out there and fight for other people, protect them from the dangerous wizards in our world like my father did. But now, now that I have fallen in love," he smiled shyly at her as he went on, "now I want to be with you, I want to protect just you from the dangerous people out there. I want to be with you as much as I can instead of being off searching and fighting all the time, I remember my father being away so much when I was a child and now that I have seen a different side to life, now that I know what it is like to love someone so much, I just want to be able to live a simple and happy life with someone, eventually," he added realising that he was still talking to a seventeen year old girl who had one more year of school ahead of her and though he knew right now that he wanted to marry Lily Potter one day, he knew it was still a way off, somewhere in their future.

"But Raulph, you can't give up your dreams for me," she said quietly secretly in awe of all he was prepared to give up for her, "you have wanted to do this for almost your whole life, you have to follow your heart and live your dream no matter what."

"But I have a new dream now Lily, a different one, one I have never imagined before, a dream that involves you. Trust me Lily, my ideas have changed, you changed them and not because you meant to , not because you wanted to, because you showed me something new, something different, a life I have never seen before, one full of love, complete and utter love for another person, a dream that far suppasses the one I had before." She smiled at him and he pulled her close again, "Lily, one way or another we will be together, it may not be easy but I promise you we will be together like this again, one day." A small sob escaped her, a mixture of emotions behind it, joy at Raulph's determination that they be together but tinged with sadness knowing that in a few days they would be parting for a length of time which neither of them had been separated for before.

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Later that night Lily layin her bed desperate to be with the man she loved as she tossed and turned trying to find some sleep she thought over and over what he had said, he wanted to be with her, with Lily Potter. She had been a little afraid, even though she knew how much he loved her, she had been a little afraid that once she left and returned to school the distance would drive them apart somewhat, but now she knew how determined he was to be with her and that slight fear had left her heart and been replaced by that unending desire to be with him. She glanced at the clock she kept by her bed and saw that it was almost one o clock in the morning, tossing her head over again she sighed and then lifted it as she heard a noise at the bedroom window. The soft tap sounded again and she slid silently from her bed, tiptoeing to the window where she pulled back the curtain to peer out and then she saw him, he was standing looking up at her window a look of desperation on his face. She saw him smile as he spotted her and she waved at him before letting the curtain drop and dashing hastily from the room, sprinting down the stairs in nothing more than her nightdress. She hastily reached the door and checked that no one was around before she unlatched it and jumped down onto the soft grass outside. Raulph was waiting there and he swept her into his arms immediately lifting her up so her bare feet left the dewy ground beneath them, "What are you doing here?" she asked breathlessly after he had kissed her passionately on the lips.

"I couldn't sleep," he replied, "I was tossing and turning and thinking about what I said to you today about being with you and I realised that I needed to see you right now!" he chuckled and then kissed her again. A noise from the train made them freeze on the spot and they glanced around warily half expecting to see someone staring at them from one of the windows, after a few seconds they both relaxed as they realised it must have been something creaking rather than a person but they wasted no more time. Raulph dropped her to her feet and grabbing one hand in his he set off at a furious pace around the outside of the fortress and she hurried along after him enjoying the feel of the soft grass beneath her feet and the cool breeze blowing through her hair. She smiled as they continued on for a few more minutesforgetting for a moment everything that was ahead of them and just enjoying being free and together and alone. As they reached a clump of secluded trees at the edge of the plateau Raulph stopped suddenly and pulled Lily into his arms, enveloping her in them tightly he leaned down to kiss her deeply and passionately with a vigour she had not felt from him before, they had been passionate with each other for a long time but this kiss seemed different, if possible more passionate and she could feel his longing.

He barely stopped to undress her, he backed her against a tree and slid the straps of her thin nighdress from her shoulders as his kisses trailed down her neck and shoulders, he nibbled her gently and listened to the soft moans which escaped her mouth, the nightdress slid to the floor and he stepped back to gaze at her naked body, the moonlight shone off it and he smiled at her. As he started to kiss her hungrily once more she unbuttoned and removed his shirt and unfastened his trousers which fell to the floor revealing his extreme desire to have her there and then. When he had kicked off his trousers and they were both naked he stepped back to gaze at her again marvelling at how exquisite her thin lithe body was and then with a force he did not know he possessed he grabbed her kissing her roughly but with passion. He lifted hthe amazing girl in the air and she wrapped her legs around him returning the passionate kiss and longing to feel him inside her, he quickly dropped Lily to the ground and pushed himself into her making her gasp for a second both at the feel of his thrust and as her back scrapped the ground beneath her but she didn't care about the roughness as she felt Raulph continue to push her hard as his breathing and groaning increased, it was like he was lost in her and all he wanted to do was push himself deeper and deeper. She moaned and groaned as he continued with a force she had never felt before, he held her close to him as he shuddered and slammed himself against her once more making her cry out with passion, then he groaned louder than she had ever heard him before and collapsed on top of her breathing shallowly into her hair.

It was a few moments before he spoke and when he did he lifted his head and looked woefully into her eyes before whispering, "I'm sorry."

"For what?" she asked with a look of confusion on her face.

"For being so rough," he whispered as a guilty look crossed his face, "I just felt like I needed you there and I was thnkning only about myself and not you, I should have been more loving and gentle, did I hurt you?"

"No," she replied in a soft murmer, "I wanted you too, it was different but just as passionate as always, Raulph I love you and I felt exactly the same way as you." Then she leaned up to kiss him gently reassuring him with her lips that she was just as happy and satisfied by what had happened as he was.

They lay naked under the trees for a while longer staring at the stars and touching each others' bodies, Raulph took Lily to the far reaches of excstasy with his fingers and she moaned out loud like a primal animal in the wild as she clung to him and he kissed her breasts and nipples gently. A few hours later they made love again, slowly and sensuously this time, Lily sat astride him rubbing her knees on the rough ground as he helped and guided her to bring them both together in passion crying out simultaneously as they peaked and stared deeply into each others' eyes revelling in how much love they shared.

The sun was breaking when they decided they should dress and return to their dormitories, Raulph removed a few stray twigs from Lily's hair as she pulled her nightdress back on and then they slunk carefully back towards the fortress, Raulph made sure she was safely back in her dormitory before he ran swiftly back to the castle and after watching him from the window of the train Lily climbed back into her bed and allowed sleep to wash over her for a few hours waking briefly as the other sixth years girls stirred but drifting back into a deep sleep when they had left the dormitory.

She woke around midday with a smile on her face, as she turned in bed she felt a slight soreness to her back but it only reminded her of the passion she and Raulph had shared earlier that morning. Rising slowly she washed and dressed before heading down to the common room in search of a friend, the task wasn't due to start until two o clock but she knew she would not be able to see Raulph as he would be busy with the press and the triwizard organisers. Both the girls' and the main common room were deserted so Lily decided to head across to the fortress in search of a familiar face, as she crossed to the drawbridge skipping slightly and thinking dreamily of the previous night he watched her. He continued to watch her as she entered the courtyard and walked over to the entrance to the great hall, he had watched her the night before too, seen her leave with him but he had been too slow to follow this time, they had disappeared into the night and he had lost them. He had waited all night for them to return and he could tell buy her slightly dishevelled state what they had been doing, it had angered him slightly but he had calmed himself as he remembered that his moment with her wasnear, nearer than it had ever been, before the end of the day he would have had his way with Lily Potter as he should have had, she would be making him groan with her delicate touch and exquisite body, she would be his unrelentingly and no one would be anythe wiser until it was too late.

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The pounding noise of the waiting spectators was almost deafening but it helped to get the adrenaline pumping around Raulph's body as he waited for the task to begin. He had slept peacefully for a few hours when he had returned to his dormitory and woke feeling quite refreshed at around eleven o clock, his mother and father had arrived shortly before twelve and he had spent an hour with them before meeting up with the other champions and giving a few short interviews to the press. At half past one he had been brought to the champion's tent to await the beginning of the trial, students had begun to arrive and take their places in the stands shortly after that and now he could feel the excitement drifting down to them all.

As two o clock approached Profesor Nitschmann asked the champions to follow him from the tent and in procession they made their way out to the waiting crowd, as they passed between two of the tall stands where the spectators were cheering the champions saw what was waiting for them. A huge stone pyramid rose out of the ground and reached up at least sixty feet into the air; it was a three sided structure made of clumsily cut rock and stone they could see footholds dotted up and down the sides and every so often a darker stone was positioned as a large foothold standing prominently out of the structure. At the top of the pyramid Raulph could see a small glistening cup which he knew immediately was the triwizard cup and without having to think about it he knew that the task ahead of him was more physical than magical. He had to climb to the top of the pyramid. It seemed somewhat simple to him after the first two tasks and he had an inkling that there would be a little more to it than met the eye.

Raulph scanned the crowds quickly as the headteacher took to the podium positioned at the foot of the pyramid, he was hoping to spot Lily in the crowd but there were so many people there that it was impossible to make out any individuals. He knew she was there however and he thought briefly back on the previous night before focusing his attention on the elated looking wizard quietening the crowd as he prepared to speak.

"Good afternoon everyone," he began, "and welcome to the third and final task of the triwizard tournament," he paused as the crowd gave a raucous cheer, "our champions are ready," he indicated the three contenders standing in front of him who each took a bow in turn as they were applauded again, "and the winner of this task will be the winner of the triwizard tournament overall." Whoops and cheers interrupted his flow and he had to wait yet again for the din to become a hushed murmer before going on. "Now the task may appear to be simple, but all is not as it appears," he smiled and then turned to face the pyramid, "the champions will attempt to climb this giant structure in front of us using their physical prowess alone, however you may notice that there are many darker footholds dotted up and down the sides of the structure. These darker stones are not merely larger rocks though, they are in fact portkeys, portkeys which will transport them either up or down the colossal pyramid," Raulph nodded knowingly, he had been right it could not be that simple. "Some of the portkeys will take them closer to the top but others will return them lower down and they will have to climb again, of course the trick is to remember which portkeys will take you in which direction if you are returned unexpectedly to a lower stage of the climb," he went on looking at the three contenders who were all staring at the impressive structure before them. "You will each choose one side of the pyramid to climb up, the decision of who gets to choose first will be based upon the points you have gained so far in the previous tasks. You will be given the choice but once you have decided you must stay on that side of the pyramid until you or one of your fellow champions reaches the top." Nitschmann gestured for the three champions to step forward and walk around the pyramid to see how each side differed from the rest, the crowd watched on in silence and Raulph once more attempted to seek out Lily but it was still fruitless.

A few moments later they returned to a patch of earth in front of the podium and Nitschmann once more began to speak, "Genevieve you will have first choice as you are ahead on points," he looked at her and she nodded, "then it will be you, Raulph," he went on before turning to look at the third contestant, "and you will have the remaining side of the pyramid Terry." Terry nodded his understanding too and then the headteacher swung around to face the crowd and asked that they show their support for their champions. The stands erupted once more with cheers, claps, whoops and much waving of flags and banners; then as a cannon sounded Genevieve set off choosing the side of the pyramid which could not be seen from the podium, a second cannon sounded shortly after and Raulph ran for the left of the remaining two sides leaving Terry to attempt the right hand side when the third cannon shot minutes later.

It was an exciting race for the spectators as they watched their champions reach higher and higher only to be sent back down the side of the pyramid when they touched a dark rock portkey, ocasssionally there would be a cheer as one of them disappeared for a millisecond and then reappeared near the apex of the pyramid, the crowd then waited with baited breath for them to reach out for the cup only to see them fall back once more to a lower section after touching another darkened rock. After half an hour of constant climbing the contenders were still fighting on though it could clearly be seen that they were all tiring in their own way, Genevieve was close to the top and was obviously trying to avoid touching any more portkeys lest they send her back down the pyramid, close behind her was Terry but near the bottom of the giant structure was Raulph who had been sent continually back down the side. The Durmstrang students were spurring him on with vigour and everyone could see the determination on his face, dragging himself up to touch another black stone he disappeared and everyone watched to see where he would turn up, the spectators suddenly erupted with calls and cheers as Raulph appeared higher up the pyramid than Genevieve less than a second later. She heard the applause and realised that one of the other champions must have risen higher than her and in a desperate attempt to win she headed for a close dark stone, the Beauxbaton students held their breath this time as they watched her disappear and then released it in a groan as she reappeared again near the bottom of the great structure. None of the Durmstrang students however had noticed this as they were all watching Raulph who was now avoiding at all costs any more portkeys on his climb to the top, he was closer than Terry who had just returned to the middle of the structure and as they realised just how close Raulph wasto winning the tournament the whole student body began to chant gleefully, "Krum, Krum, Krum," he heard this and it seemed to give him the strength to reach up finally for the top of the pyramid, his hand stretched out and closed upon the handle of the gleaming cup as a resounding cheer broke out from all the stands.

Raulph disappeared suddenly from the top of the pyramid and everyone gasped and fell silent in surprise but then he reappeared on the podium at the bottom of the impressive giant where Professor Nitschmann had been giving out the instructions earlier. The clamourous noise returned accompanied by stamping feet and waving flags as Genevieve and Terry admitted defeat and began to climb back down the structure as quickly as their worn out bodies would allow them landing at the bottom exhausted but with a smile for their fellow champion and winner. The headteacher, accompanied by Ludo Bagman, had already joined Raulph at the podium and were showering him with confetti and champagne which had magically appeared above him in celebration. The victor began to scan the crowd once more looking for Lily, hoping that she would have the courage to come down and join him, but if it had been difficult to spot her before it was nothing compared to now, everyone was on their feet, singing, chanting, waving and jumping about, from his spot on the floor it was impossible to even spot anyone specific amongst the excited crowd, in his mind he willed her to join him but knew she would be too shy to take part in these celebrations so he turned back to his headmaster and waited patiently until he could share his winning status with her.

After the wizarding press had taken photographs and conducted a few interviews and he had been awarded his one thousand galleon prize Raulph was finally allowed to leave the champion's tent and go in search of Lily and his friends, he knew they would be waiting somewhere close and he longed to spin her around in his arms to celebrate. As he left the entrance to the tent he saw Peter and Lizzie standing to the left of it but Lily was not with them, he dashed forwards as a strange feeling began to form in his stomach, they did not look happy or excited, they looked worried about something and he instinctively knew that it was Lily.

"Where is she?" he asked as he reached them.

"We don't know, Raulph," Lizzie began a note of panic in her voice, "she joined us for lunch and then went back to the train to get something saying she would see us in the stands but she never turned up, at first we thought maybe she'd gone to another stand but we've searched everywhere for her while you've been back in there and we...we can't find her anywhere."


	16. Chapter 16

**AN: Thanks as usual for the review and I hope this chapter is... revealing!**

Chapter 16 – The chase

"What do you mean you can't find her? She must be...she has to be here somewhere...she should have been here...she wouldn't have missed...not on purpose," Raulph stumbled through the words as his mind whirred around and around trying to think of a sensible and plausible reason for why she hadn't watched him win the triwizard cup. "Was she ill? Is she in the infirmary?" he asked Lizzie eyes blazing at her causing her to take a step back into Peter's arms.

"N...n...no," she stuttered in response, "we...we checked there, we've been to the Hogwart's express, we've been to the Durmstrang common rooms, all the toilets, the infirmary and everywhere, I don't know where else to look," she squeaked bursting into tears as Peter gathered her into his arms. Raulph sat down on a rock nearby and dropped his head into his hands it didn't make any sense to him and he still had an uneasy feeling in his stomach that something wasn't right. Lily would not have missed the final task, they had been passionate with each other the night before and there had been no argument or cross words between them he just couldn't understand. "Have you checked anywhere else?" he asked.

"We've been everywhere we could think of even the quidditch changing rooms where you used to..." Lizzie drifted off and dropped her eyes as she fell to sit beside him on the stone, "We were just about to go and see Professor McGonagall and explain, maybe she asked her to do something or even Professor Longbottom did, although ," she added still looking puzzled, "I don't know why they would today of all days. Let's go and see her now she might know something."

"I don't know Lizzie," Raulph said lifting his head up to look at his friend, "I feel uneasy, like something...something bad might have..." he couldn't finish the sentence. "Has she said anything recently about...I don't know what, about well anything? Or has anyone been near her who might have..." he stopped as he saw Lizzie's face drop at these words. "What is it?" he demanded sitting up straight and looking her in the eyes, "Lizzie," he added forcefully when she looked away.

"It was...well it was absolutely ages ago but that boy in your dorm, the one who wasn't here at the beginning of the year, he's a bit sleazy," she said wincing a little.

"Rick Branton?" Raulph grimaced jumping to his feet, "What is it?" he growled feeling the stone drop again in his stomach, "Lizzie tell me, please," he went on lessening his tone with her a little knowing that angry words would not help.

"He came up to us, well to Lily really and started saying things like...like..."

"Go on," Raulph said gently sensing her hesitation.

"He said he'd seen the two of you in," she nodded in the general direction of the quidditch changing rooms and said, "doing...well," she coughed a little and Raulph nodded in understanding. "Well he kept insinuating that one day he and she would..." she let him draw his own conclusion and it did not take him long to do.

"He what?" Raulph barked, "I'll kill him, why didn't she tell me?"

"Because she was afraid you would do something to him and end up in trouble, expelled from school and cast out of the tournament, she made me swear that I wouldn't tell you, or...or anyone," she added looking apologetically at Peter too who returned a smile of understanding.

"She was so stupid," Raulph cursed, "she should have told me, I would have...have..."

"Gone of half cocked and got yourself thrown out just like she thought Raulph," Peter said. Raulph looked him in the face, "Come on Raulph, you know you would have," Peter went on, "you'd have beaten him to a pulp over Lily."

"But at least she'd have been safe." He shrieked.

"No," Peter said forcefully, "she would have been without you, she should have told one of the teachers, but talking about that now is not going to help us find her Raulph, we need to- where are you going?" he shouted as Raulph turned on his heal and began hurtling towards the castle. "Raulph wait," he called grabbing Lizzie by the hand and tearing after him at breakneck speed.

They caught up with him, huffing and panting, at the entrance to the great hall where he had paused for a second as a group of students passed by him hurrying to get themselves ready for the forthcoming ball. "Where...where are you going?" Peter panted as they stopped and watched Raulph trying to get past the hoard impatiently.

"To the dorm to find Branton," Raulph barked in reply.

"He won't be in there if he...if he has..." they were all reluctant to actually believe that Branton might have Lily and seemed to be afraid that if they said it out loud it would definitely make it true.

"I know that," Raulph replied setting off once more in the direction of the boys' dormitories as the oblivious and cheering crowd passed by. Many of them had tried to clap Raulph on the back and offer congratulations to him and had been affronted by his standoffish manor as his eagerness to find Lily drove him onwards.

"So why the dorm?" Peter asked dragging Lizzie up the winding stairwell which led to their home away from home.

"There might be a clue, or something, anything that might lead us to them, if he has her then...then I'll..."

"Mate, we know," Peter said as he put his hand on Raulph's shoulder, they had reached the open doorway of their shared bedroom and angry and frightened teenager had finally paused again to catch his breath.

The room was empty and after a cursory glance to ensure this Raulph tore across it towards Rick's bed. The hangings were closed and he ripped them back violently half expecting to find Lily on his bed, when he found it unmade and bare he jumped around to his trunk and yanked it open with a force that broke the lock keeping it shut completely off its hinge. He started to throw an assortment of articles across the room desperately searching for something, anything that would tell him where Lily was. As he had run across the grounds of Durmstrang towards this room he had become more and more convinced that Branton had Lily and he was determined to seek them out and kill the boy if he had to, no one would touch his girl, especially a sleaze like him. Something suddenly caught his eye at the bottom of the trunk which made him stop and as his activity ceased Peter and Lizzie looked over his shloulder to see why.

They saw him holding something in his hand, something which he was looking at curiously, it was a small, pink brush. "This is Lily's," he said looking up at them, "she said it went missing when she was in here but I told her I had never found it and she assumed she must have left it elsewhere but he...he had it it," he spat.

"What the hell is going on here?" growled a gruff voice from behind them and the three worried friends all swivelled their heads to stare in the direction from which it had come. Lizzie and Peter barely had time to register who it was before a body flung itself past them and towards the angry young man stood in the doorway. Raulph collided with him throwing him to the ground in the entrance to the dormitory and beginning to rain his fists down on the shocked looking figure.

"Where is she?" he screamed as they began to tussle, for a few seconds the newcomer had been caught off guard but as his sense and instincts had kicked in he had begun to rain the blows back at Raulph. Lizzie screamed as Peter dove at them and tried to prise them apart, grabbing at Raulph's arms in a vain attempt to stop him, but the adrenaline which had begun to pump through his body the moment he knew Lily was missing was too much for Peter who was not as physically strong as his friend.

"Raulph," he pleaded trying to shield himself from both fighters' blows, "stop, this is not going to help," he pleaded trying once more to grab hold of his friend's arms, "we won't find out anything like this."

"Raulph, Rick, please STOP," Lizzie screamed as Peter was knocked backwards and fell awkwardly lifting his hand to a reddening patch of skin on his face, she crouched down beside him putting her arm on his shoulder in comfort as the scrabbling boys realised what they were doing and came to a standstill. Raulph stood up and stared down vehemently at his still bemused looking roommate who was sprawled on the floor knees bent and arms propping him up, they both panted and were sporting bleeding lips and noses.

Wiping the blood on the back of his sleeve Rick looked up at Raulph with a scowl and said, "What the hell was all that about?"

"Where is she?" Raulph spat down at him.

"Where's who?" Rick spat back venomously, "I don't know what the hell you are talking about, why were you going through my trunk?" The glare in Raulph's eyes showed just how much he was holding back now and the other two could see that his fuse would not burn slowly for long.

"Where's Lily?" Raulph growled in a monotone voice.

"How the hell should I know, Krum? She's your girlfriend."

Peter stood up and grabbed Raulph's arm to stop him from blowing up in Rick's face again and then offered his other hand to the injured boy laying on the floor. "Hitting him is going to get us nowhere fast, Raulph," he pleaded and he let go as the tension in his friend's body began to ease.

"Then tell him to stop lying," Raulph barked.

"About what?" Rick bellowed.

"Where Lily is!" shrieked the grief stricken boy in reply and then he grabbed the small pink hairbrush which he had cast quickly aside before launching at Branton. "I found this in your trunk," he spat, "it's Lily's, you must have taken it when she was up here with me and Lizzie told me that you've been making suggestive remarks to her about...about...the two of us." He glared straight into Rick's eyes daring him to deny that it had happened.

"And?" he replied in a sarcastic tone.

"And? And?" Raulph began the tension rising in his body once more as he fought the urge to start pounding the smarmy looking face which returned his stare, "And what have you done with her? She wasn't at the third task and no one has seen her for ages, it was the perfect opportunity for a sleaze like you to do something...something like..." he couldn't bring himself to even think about what the scumbag might have done to the girl that he loved more than anything in the world so he left the sentnecs hanging in the air.

"Something, hey?" Rick replied cockily raising his eyebrows, Peter once more grabbed hold of his friend tightly as he saw Raulph lose the battle to contain his rage.

"Branton just tell us where she is." Peter sighed desperate to get this whole situation resolved.

"I've told you, how the hell should I know?" he replied brushing past the three of them to his own bed where he flung himself onto the covers and glared defiantly back at them. "I haven't seen the little tramp for days."

"The what?" Raulph screamed and Lizzie was sure steam would begin to pour out of his orafices if Branton continued to goad him like this.

"For god's sake, Rick, stop being an arse and tell us what you know." Peter pleaded.

"I don't know anything, I've been in detention all afternoon with Frau Morton for trying to suffocate some stupid worms she was rearing, looked like pointless little creatures to me," he chuckled seemingly oblivious to the plight of the other three, " thought it might be amusing to watch them struggling to breath in the airtight containers. But the crabby old witch caught me doing it and she's had me cleaning out the bowtruckle cages in the pen, though it may not be long until they start to feel a bit breathless too!" he cackled.

"So you missed the tournament?" Lizzie asked softly.

"Yeah, like I cared about that!"

"And you haven't been with Lily?"

"Why the hell would I be with that tramp?" he retorted and Raulph felt his fists begin to curl again.

"Because you said that you were going to have her, ages ago you said it in front of me," Lizzie stuttered.

"And that means I wanted her?" he laughed throwing his head back and then staring wildly at Raulph.

"Well..." Lizzie went on.

"So I said something to her, big deal! She's a pretty little tart but I don't want Krum's sloppy seconds, it was just fun trying to wind her up, thought she'd go running off to him and he'd land himself in trouble, get kicked out of school or the tournament, that would have been amusing to see! But actually try it on with her? Too much like hard work, it's not like she'd succumb easily, unless I used some curses," he added as an aside looking directly at Raulph who now knew for sure that he had spied on them because only he and Lily knew about the times they had used imperious on each other. His resolve and sensibility was gone and he once more launched himself at the goading boy who saw it coming this time and dived over the edge of the bed landing roughly on the floor only just evading the punch which hit his pillow instead. Raulph sat up bewildered and looked over at Rick who was still laughing on the floor.

"So why the hell did you have Lily's brush?" Peter said trying to diffuse the situation again.

"I took it from some twirp who was fawning over it in the common room one day months ago, he was sat on his own mumbling to himself like an idiot as he twirled it over and over in his hands, he kept smelling it and laughing, I just thought it would be interesting to see what he did when I launched a pinecone at it from the side of the fire, he'd never even heard me come into the room he was so transfixed bythe thing, he started screaming and shouting like a madman so I nicked it and held on to it!" he chuckled evidently reliving his bullying tactics, "thought the idiot was going to cry!" he went on.

"Who was he?" Peter asked.

"Why should I tell you?"

"Because Lily is missing and if you didn't take her then maybe this idiot did," Raulph barked.

"And I'm meant to care because?"

"Because I'll pound your face to mush if you don't," Raulph replied jumping to his feet again.

"You and who's army?" he replied laughing as Raulph beagn to advance on him again.

"Raulph, stop!" Peter growled then he turned to look at Branton, "For god's sake just tell us who he was and we'll be out of your hair, is it really going to kill you to let us know?"

"No, but it's more fun not to!" It was the final straw, Raulph dove on him before he could move and began to smash his fists into Rick's face, he had the upper hand as he had pinioned him to the ground with his right arm beneath him and all Branton could do was flail his left arm around trying to return a punch or fight Raulph from below him. His already broken nose began to splurt more blood as blow after blow hit his face. The brief reprieve had given his eye enough time to swell and one more hit burst open the swelling as more blood began to flow, Raulph's knuckles were covered in Branton's blood and the look on his face scared both Peter and Lizzie.

"Protego," Lizzie eventually screamed pointing her wand at the scrabbling pair who were immediately thrown apart as the invisible shield spread between them. Rick sat up and tried to catch his breath again as he dabbed at his bleeding face with the sleeve of his robes. One of his eyes was almost swollen shut and as he began to speak he sounded like he had a thick lisp to his voice. "He was one of yours," he said looking directly at Lizzie. Raulph, who had been thrown to the other side of the bed, sat up panting and listened to what Branton was spitting out through a split lip. "Tall lad, thin, with dark hair. He didn't have the same scarf as you lot it was yellow with a black and white creature on it, looked a bit like a badger."

"That's Hufflepuff," Lizzie whispered looking over at Raulph who seemed to know immediately who Rick had just described. "It must be...David," she said in disbelief.

"David?" Peter asked, "Wasn't he Terry's mate who took Lily to the Yule ball?"

"Yeah, only he hasn't been hanging around with Terry for ages, he seemed to have slipped into a little shell over the last few months, we thought he was home sick or something cause he was never at dinner or in the common room on the train with everyone else. We thought he'd fallen out with Terry because we never saw them together. But why would David take Lily?"

"Because he was obviously obsessed with the girl," Branton interrupted in a rude voice finally deciding to give them some useful information, "the way he was fawning over that brush like some love sick puppy, muttering away to himself like he was crazy."

"But he wouldn't do anything as stupid as kidnapping Lily, he's the Minister's nephew."

"I don't know," Rick went on, "he seemed pretty wierd when I saw him."

"Terry," Raulph said suddenly, "we need to find Terry," he finished wiping his face with his own robe sleeve and dashing from the room at breakneck speed Peter and Lizzie close behind him.

They hurtled back down the stairs one behind the other, through the throngs of students still bustling about outside the great hall and across the courtyard in the direction of the Hogwart's Express. They searched it thoroughly from top to bottom but found it completely deserted, the excitement of the final task and the upcoming festivities had prompted everyone to leave the common rooms and dormitories to gather together and talk about the events of the day. Groaning in frustration Raulph looked helplessly at Lizzie who seemed to have a sudden brainwave, her face lit up as if a lightbulb had come on nd she headed quickly in the direction of the dining car. The two boys stared at each other in bewilderment before following her, both wishing she had explained herself before she'd dashed off, as they reached the car they caught a glimpse of her disappearing up the circular metal stairway which led to the kitchens and tore up them hastily coming to a stop behind the blonde haired girl who was stood in the kitchen doorway.

"Hello Miss," said a squeaky voice as a short, stout house elf dressed in Hogwart's livery came bustling forward and bowed before her almost touching the floor with its nose, "what can we house elves do for you? Sir, Sir," she added seeing the two boys come to a halt behind her.

"Has anyone been back on the train at all today do you know?" Lizzie asked kindly and the elf lifted her face to look up at her.

"It has been quite empty all day miss, we elves have been cleaning the whole train while everyone was at the tournament."

"But did anyone come back at all, earlier, even before the task began?" Lizzie added exasperatedly.

"Only your young friend, miss, and one of the boys."

"Lily?" Lizzie asked quietly sensing that they may finally be about to get somewhere, she could feel Raulph edging closer behind her as if being nearer would mean he got all the necessary information.

"The Potter girl, yes Miss," she went on smiling up at the three visitors.

"When was this?" Lizzie asked.

"And what about the boy?" Raulph interjected as calmly as he could.

The elf looked curiously at Raulph before continuing her story, "She popped back in just before the task was due to start, Miss, I was cleaning in the main common room and I spotted her going up to her dormitory, when she came back down she was searching in the common room for something and then the other boy walked through to her, they didn't say anything to each other but then I saw the young Miss take his arm and they left together to go to the tournament I suppose. No one else has been here all day since then."

"Who was the boy?" Peter asked gently, "was it David Clearwater?"

"The Minister's nephew, yes, why do you ask such questions? Is there something wrong Miss? Sirs?"

"What? Oh...we just can't find them, that's all," Lizzie said slowly feeling a little bemused, she couldn't understand why Lily would leave with David, they hadn't really spoken to each other at all since the Yule ball and even if David did have some sort of obsession with her Lizzie still could not understand why Lily would go out arm in arm with him. "Thank you," she said to the house elf before turning back to the boys. "Why would she go with him like that?"

"I don't know," Raulph replied exasperatedly.

"Did you happen to see which way they went?" Peter asked the house elf who was still stood in front of them as if awaiting instruction or dismissal, she was evidently an older house elf who still felt tied to the old ways.

"Well actually I was cleaning the windows as they left and they didn't go in the direction of the tournament stands, they headed up to the castle first but I supposed they were calling somewhere else on the way."

"Thank you again," Peter replied, "you may go now."

"Thank you Sir," she said before bowing once more and scuttling off to the kitchen table where she picked up a rag and began to wipe the sirface methodically.

Peter, Raulph and Lizzie all headed back down to the dining car where they sat at the table to think about the new information, Rauplh was frustrated at the lack of progress but they needed to decide where to go next, hurtling from one side of the castle to the other was not going to help them, they needed to figure out exactly where Lily might be before they set off again.

"I just don't get it," Lizzie started, "so she came back here for something, we knew that, but I don't understand why she would leave with David, they have barely spoken since the Yule ball except to say hello in passing. I mean if he has some sort of obsession with her then we know why he wanted her to go with him, and Lily would be polite enough to walk with him to the stands if they were the only ones still here, but why would she take his arm and then walk in the opposite direction voluntarily? She was so excited about the task today and before she came back here she said she would be as quick as she could, she wouldn't have taken a detour, especially with David, it just doesn't make any sense to me."

"Unless she didn't do it voluntarily," Raulph suddenly whispered a horrible realisation dawning on him.

"What do you mean?" Peter asked, "How could she not go voluntarily?"

"He...he could have...imperioused her," he replied desperately trying not to believe that it could be true.

"But Lily can throw the curse easily, she was one of the first in the class to do it and Professor Graudin said she was fantastic at it, the best in the class, she questioned it immediately. Surely if David was desperate enough to use it she would have thrown it straight away wouldn't she?"

"Not necessarily," Raulph said reluctantly looking down at his hands and feeling the stares of the other two on him.

"What do you mean not necess- oh," Lizzie stopped herself as she began to realise and she stared at her best friend's boyfriend in disbelief, "Raulph...please tell me you didn't," she said slowly. Her eyes blazed into the top of his head which was all she could see as he refused to lift his gaze to her eyes.

"Didn't what?" Peter asked curiously, "What are you talking about?"

"Raulph," Lizzie said angrily suddenly fearing for her friend more than she had so far, she knew Lily was a strong girl who was equally strong willed and she had to admit that when she discovered that it was David who had taken her she had relaxed slightly thinking that she would be able to stand up to him somehow. But now fear gripped her heart like a vice, if Lily was completely suseptable to bend to his whim then who knew what he would make her do, "Why did you do it?" she asked in a whisper as the fear threatened to overcome her completely.

"Do what?" Peter asked looking completely confused and out of the conversation, "Lizzie, what are you talking about?"

"Apparently it's some stupid thing going around school back home," she began in a shaky voice looking at her own boyfriend through huge and terrified eyes, "when Mel came at Christmas she told us about it, but Lily thought it was ridiculous, she said that Mel was an idiot to even think of doing it," she turned back to face Raulph, "how did you talk her into it?" she asked angrily her fear suddenly turning to fury at the boy she had liked and trusted and who had weakened her friend so that she was now in this position.

"I didn't," he returned lifting his head up and looking at her, "I agreed that it was a bad idea but it started off as Lily wanting to practise throwing the curse but then she wanted us to use it to...to make things more...more...relaxed and easier for her, she was nervous about...about doing things and...and,"

"And you shouldn't have forced her," Lizzie bellowed at him jumping to her feet.

"I didn't," he replied with equal vigour standing up and squaring up to Lizzie, he was just as worried about Lily and he did not appreciate having her best friend call him little short of a rapist, "I would never have forced her to do anything, you know that Lizzie, I told her that I would wait, that I did not want to push her into anything, I'm not like that. But we got to a stage where we were ready, Lily was ready and she wanted us to do...things," he began to feel slightly embarrassed about having to discuss being intimate with Lily but he needed Lizzie to understand that he was not the terrible person she was paining him out to be. "She wanted a little guidance that was all, I never forced her to do anything, I guided her into doing something that she had asked me to do," he looked away as he felt his cheeks begin to redden, "but I always lifted the curse after a little gentle nudging and she would carry on." Lizzie eyed him warily as if trying to decide if he was really telling the truth, "I swear to you Lizzie, I let her do it to me too, I wouldn't ever do anything like that."

"So you imperioused each other?" Peter whispered as if he had suddenly realised the topic of the conversation, "That was so..."

"Stupid, dangerous, I know," Raulph shouted beginning to pace up and down the room, "it didn't seem like it at the time, at first I kept thinking we should stop, that we shouldn't be doing it but then we used it for the second task and-"

"What?" Lizzie interrupted.

"The second task," Raulph went on realising he was about to confess something else that he was not that proud of. "Lily had the map of the maze and she imperioused me from the changing rooms, that's why we kept sneaking out and that's why she wasn't there." He looked down sheepishly then but his friends did not seem too concerned that he had cheated in the task.

"But why did you carry on if you knew it was dangerous?" Lizzie asked.

"I don't know, it became harder and harder to stop, we didn't do it all the time but once we were more relaxed with each other we started to do it for fun, I know it was stupid," he added seeing the blazing look rekindle in Lizzie's eyes. "How could I have been such an idiot? I've placed her in so much danger," his voice broke on the last word and he dropped back into the chair.

Realising that she couldn't make him feel any guiltier than he already did Lizzie relented and walked around the table to put her hand on his shoulder, he was as worried as she was and berating him over something that Lily too had consented to was not going to help them to find her. "What do we do now?" she asked softly looking at Peter who shrugged his shoulders.

"Could we search his room or his trunk? It might give us a clue like the brush in Branton's things at least we definitely know it was David this time."

Squeezing Raulph's shoulder once more Lizzie whispered "Come on," and then led the way through the dining car doorway to the boys' common room. They ran up the winding steps two at a time until they reached the top floor where the seventh year boys were housed, throwing open the door they headed inside and began to search all the bunks and trunks in the room. "That one," Lizzie said seeing the Hufflepuff scarf hanging out of a half closed trunk and they all knelt down beside it as Peter flung the lid over and they stared down at a neat and organised pile of belongings.

"What are you lot doing here?" said a familiar voice behind him and they all turned around to see Terry standing in the doorway to the dormitory, it was almost like a dejavu of the scene in the Durmstrang boys' dormitory except that Raulph stood up calmly this time and approached Terry slowly instead of launching himself at the voice as he had done with Rick.

"Terry do you know where David is?" he asked.

"David? No, why?" he asked curiously seeing some of the terror in his eyes.

"We think he's taken Lily somewhere." Lizzie said.

"David? Why would he take Lily somewhere? And why do you look worried about it? Surely she'll be alright."

"We think he might have imperioused her," Lizzie began calmly and she noticed the wide eyed look of shock cross Terry'sface.

"David?" he asked almost wanting to laugh at the very idea.

"I know it sounds strange but one of the house elves saw them leave together arm in arm and head to the castle instead of the stands for the third task and we found out that he's had some sort of wierd obsession with her ever since the ball, he had her hairbrush and was caught muttering to it by one of the Durmstrang boys. Come to think of it Lily said she had lost a few other things over the last couple of months, just little things like-" she was cut short.

"Like a ribbon? And a quill? And some perfume?" said Peter from across the room. Lizzie and Raulph, who had their backs to him, turned to look at Peter and Terry peered over their shoulders, he had evidently continued to search the trunk while they had been explaining the situation to the fellow seventh year inhabitant and he was now holding a small tin box in his hand, which was open, and with the other hand he was extracting various items which Lizzie immediately recognised as Lily's. Terry's expression changed from bewilderment to disbelief as the three of them walked over to where Peter was tipping up the box onto the bed. There was an array of small items in there including a photograph of Lily's family cut from a newspaper, it looked like the announcement of James' passing out from auror training and Lizzie immediately remembered Lily's mother sending it to her. There was a small white handkerchief with her initials on it, a long, thin silver earring, a note written in Lily's handwriting, a ribbon, a quill and a tiny bottle of perfume all of which were hers and in the bottom a photograph of Lily and Raulph but Raulph's head was missing and in it's place David had put a picture of his own head which was smiling down at the beaming Lily as he kept kissing her on the cheek just as Raulph had been doing in the original. And right at the bottom of the pile was something white and lacy, Lizzie was the one who picked them up and Rauplh gasped as he immediately recognised them as the fragile pair of knickers he had ripped from her body in the forest when they had been in Lisleberg." Lizzie gasped when she realised what they were and the other two boys looked away.

"How did he get these?" Lizzie gasped.

Raulph turned red but knew he would need to explain, "When we were in the village shortly before Easter," he swallowed hard, "we went off into the forest to..." he coughed and Lizzie nodded in understanding. "I...she told me...I...I ripped them off and..." he couldn't bare to finish the sentence in front of Lily's best friend and another boy from her school because he felt as if he was betraying her virtue by just admitting they had done more than hold hands and kiss.

"We get it," Lizzie said saving him from any more embarrassment as she found it just as hard to listen to the story.

"Oh my god," Terry said, "I never knew he had all this stuff, he...he...I mean he has been quiet and quite reclusive lately but I thought it was because of the pressure of his exams, he's always been bad when they came around though I guess thinking about it he never withdrew from everyone like he has done here. I just figured it was because he wasn't with all of his Hufflepuff friends from school."

"What do you mean he withdrew?" Peter asked.

"He hasn't been around that much, always going into the little common rooms up in the fortress and staying out really late past the curfew all the time, like I said we thought it was because he was stressed but-"

"He must have been watching us," Raulph said shuddering as a mixture of revulsion and fury coursed through his body.

"I...I can't believe it, he was always so studious and well behaved, I don't think he's ever so much as lost any housepoints, I mean he's Penelope Clearwater's nephew and he's been stalking Lily and now he might be..." he let the sentence trail off too afraid to put more images into the minds of the three people desperately fearing for her. "He's been so careful about it, kept it all hidden for so long."

"He hasn't been that careful about it," said Peter suddenly, they had just heard a click and as they turned to look at Peter again they saw him holding a small piece of parchment in his hand. "It's got a false bottom on this," he went on showing them the inside of the tin.

"What's on the parchment?" Lizzie asked.

"Take a look," he said handing it over to Raulph who peered down at it and gasped.


	17. Chapter 17

**AN: Thank you again to my reviewers! Glad you liked the suspense I do like to leave my chapters with cliffhangers, but I will put you out of your misery with another update but I can't promise that there won't be another one at the end of here!! Glad I led people away from David so it would be a surprise! **

Chapter 17 – A Place to Hide

"What does it say?" Lizzie asked as she watched Raulph's eyes scanning the parchment and when he didn't answer her she turned to Peter for a response.

"It's a receipt," he explained.

"What for?"

"For a room in a chalet," Raulph said angrily, "Down in the village. Tonight," he added.

"But how could he have got her out of the grounds? They're protected aren't they so that students can't cross the boundaries undetected?" Lizzie asked.

"Yes," Peter explained while watching Raulph carefully trying to anticipate his next move, "but with all the visitors in today they will have been on and off all day letting people in and out, usually there are teachers watching the exits in cases like today's event but in all the crowds of reporters, ministry officials and parents they could have slipped by."

"What should we do?" Lizzie asked fearfully looking at the faces of all three boys.

"I'm going to the village, you wait here, you don't need to come," Raulph replied turning to leave the room.

"Wait," Lizzie called and he stopped abruptly, "we all go-"

"But-" Raulph interrupted and Lizzie shot him down immediately.

"NO! We all go Raulph, we never dreamed that David would take Lily but who knows what else he could be capable of surely four against one is better than one against one?"

"Lizzie, he's obviously used imperious on Lily and we know why she's succumbed to him but I can take him on my own, he won't get the curse on me."

"He imperioused her?" Terry asked mournfully.

"It's a long story," Peter said before turning to Raulph and grabbing his arm, "but Lizzie is right, four against one is better no matter what, we all go."

"But how are we going to get there? And how will we get past the enchantment? It'll be back up now that everyone has gone." Terry said.

"We take a sleigh," Raulph said, "we'll take it out of the back gates it'll set off the alerts when we cross the boundary but we'll be speeding away in the sleigh by the time they get to it."

"But they'll still know that we've gone, they'll know that it's us," Peter reminded him.

"I don't care!" Raulph shouted aggressively, "All I care about is getting Lily back I don't care what happens to me! And when we have her then I'll go to the Minister himself and tell him what Clearwater has done to her, it's an unforgivable! So we get into trouble for leaving the grounds, when they know why they'll forget about it. But if you don't want to risk it then stay here but I'm not wasting another second talking about it," and with that he ran out of the dormitory and down the spiral staircase taking the steps two at a time. The others looked at each other briefly before following him they had all decided that they were going with him no matter what.

Terry, Lizzie and Peter caught up with Raulph at the entrance to the coaching house, the grounds were now deserted as people were celebrating the end of the tournament and Raulph's victory all around the fortress, they had passed bymost of the Griffindor girls on their way back to the train to begin getting ready for the ball and many of them had tried to stop the hurrying Lizzie to ask why she and Lily were not about to prepare themselves.

"Raulph," Terry called as he set off running down the coaching house.

"This one," Raulph said as he stopped by an older looking sleigh, "the old ones are faster," he told them as he picked up a rope at the front and began to drag it almost effortlessly from its space between two newer and shinier ones.

"How come?" Terry asked as he picked up another rope and began to help him.

"They were sleeker, more streamlined," he explained, "the new ones were made differently because they decided the old ones were a bit dangerous, they haven't been able to replace them all yet so we still have a few in reserve for when they are needed, this way," he indicated as they turned towards the back of the building, "we'll go out of the back so no one sees us."

"Peter and Lizzie ran ahead and opened the double wooden doors at the bottom end of the coaching house and the other two boys pulled the sleigh out into the open air where the sun was just beginning to set casting an orange glow across the cloudless sky which turned purple higher up where the moon was beginning to appear. In any other situation Raulph might have found it somewhat romantic but he didn't even notice as he brought the sleigh to a stop and jumped inside, the others followed his lead and then, slowly at first, the sleigh began to move going along the bumpy, barely used track which led to the main entrance and the road which led to Lisleberg. They all glanced around as they moved but the old track only joined the main drive at the bottom near the gates and no one was around to see them anyway. As they crossed the boundary they heard nothing but the alerts were inside the fortress and were heard by the right people. However by the time the teachers had made it to them the sleigh and its occupants were hurtling down the lane towards the pretty village at break neck speed.

They had begun to gather speed as soon as they'd crossed the boundary and the two Hogwarts students knew immediately why the older sleighs had been put into virtual retirement as they careered over the earthy road. Peter and Raulph seemed completely unperturbed by the speed as they sat at the front of the vehicle, the latter almost willing it to go even faster. As the village came into view Lizzie began to fear that they were going to run straight into one of the chalets and was preparing to brace herself for a collision when she felt it begin to slow down of its own accord as if breaks had somehow been applied. The well used sled came to a perfect and smooth stop outside the Alpine Horn where they alighted form the sleigh and began to look around, during their swift journey down from the castle the sky had darkened considerably and the cool mountain air had replaced the summertime warmth they had experienced during the daytime. Torches were being lit in brackets on the sides of the chalets by a dwarf with a long taper and a wand, they cast a glow along the main street which made the sky above them seem even darker than it was.

"Which way?" Terry asked.

"It's up here," Peter called as Raulph took off up the main street, "it's a small place on the edge of the town, it's not used by many people, usually the occasional passing witch or wizard who wants to be inconspicuous, the place is well known for being...a bit dodgy, you know... they don't ask questions which is probably why a school student was able to get a room though how he got down here to book one is beyond me. Up here," he said breathlessly as they turned into a dark alleyway between a few close together chalets. Seconds later they came to a stop behind Raulph, looking up Lizzie saw a dirty chalet with a broken sign hanging outside which read The Grogger, the walls had once been painted white but they had not been repainted in what appeared to be hundreds of years and the place looked very dingy. The four students stepped inside through a cracked door and Lizzie felt revulsion as she looked around at a small, barely lit reception, it reminded her very much of the Hogs Head which she had been into only once during her time at Hogwarts and she wondered if all wizarding villages had a dingy inn which hid seedy people. She felt sick at the thought of David doing something terrible to Lily, or forcing her to do something to him but she felt even worse that it would be, or could already have been conducted here. A short bell ring brought her out of her thoughts and she watched as a dirty looking man with blackened clothes, a long grey beard and dirty fingernails approached them.

"Can I 'elp ya?" the man said in a gruff voice revealing a mouth full of broken, yellow and in some cases missing, teeth.

"Have a couple of students been in here today? Booked a room with you?" Raulph asked as he physically recoiled from the foul stench which came out of the man's mouth.

"Maybe they 'as, maybe they 'asn't," he answered in a cackle looking over the four of them.

"Maybe this tells us they have," Raulph bellowed thrusting the parchment receipt at his chest, "and maybe you'll tell us which room they are in," he added squaring up to the man.

"What's it to do with you?" he asked walking away from Raulph and behind a reception desk, he shuffled his feet as he walked and left trails in the dusty floor as he did so. "Want to get another one do ya?" he added staring leerily at Lizzie who stepped closer to Peter as the stare seemed to burn into her.

"Just tell me where they are!" Raulph growled angrily raising his wand to the man to show him that he was serious.

"My clients pay well to have their secrets kept, I don't give em away too easily,"

"Incendio," Raulph called pointing his wand at pile of crumpled parchments on the desk, they immediately burst into flames and the man took a step back as the heat reached his face. "Next time it'll be your beard," he threatened and the other three saw a tinge of fear in the man's glowing eyes. Raulph extinguished the fire with his wand and then stared at the man once more refusing to take his gaze away from the dull, dark eyes.

"Room three," he replied huffily pointing behind them and they all set off down a dark, narrow landing.

Raulph reached it first and he burst the door open screaming, "Get off her," at the top of his voice, the other three almost collided with him as they too reached the doorway but looking over his shoulder all they could see was an empty and rather dirty room. The bed was still made and there were no signs that anyone had been inside it other than two sets of clothes which had been discarded on the covers. Walking over to them Raulph picked up a dark green jumper which Lizzie recognised immediately as the one Lily had been wearing that morning, they checked the wardrobe and under the bed but found nobody there nor any other signs that anything had happened in the room that day. Storming out of the doorway Raulph headed straight back to the reception where the man was now at picking his teeth with what looked like a sharpened bone, "Where are they?" he asked, his temper was now simmering and the other three were worried that one more unhelpful comment from the owner would send him over the edge.

"Left," he replied looking up at them all, "about twenty minutes ago." He put the tooth pick down and smiled obviously enjoying the fact that they were desperate for the information that he had. "Didn't stay long at all actually," he went on slowly, "only came in about half an hour ago, both went into the room and came out all togged up like they were going somewhere special then they went back out arm in arm. God knows where they were going dressed like that, there ain't no fancy parties going on in Lisleberg only thing I know about is that ball up at the school but why would they come down here to get ready and go back up there?" he shrugged his shoulders and then picked up some of the charred parchments looking down and beginning to sift through them as if the four worried teenagers weren't even there.

Raulph began to run his fingers through his hair and headed back out of the door, Lizzie, Peter and Terry followed and found him sat on a step outside with his head in his hands. Peter clapped him on the back and sat down next to him while Lizzie watched on wondering what they were going to do next. "Where could they be?" Raulph asked in an almost defeated voice, it was clear that he was fed up of running around on a wild goose chase getting no closer to Lily who he was desperately afraid for. He was beating himself up inside for being stupid enough to use the imperious curse for fun, it had seemed so innocent when they were having fun but now that she was in this dangerous situation he was beside himself with anguish and disgust at himself. "Why would they be all dressed up?" he asked, "Surely they are not going back to the ball? He'd know that we'd see him up there, or was he banking on us finding the receipt and coming down here? Maybe they are on their way back up to the fortress," he added jumping to his feet.

"But like the man said, Raulph, why come all the way down here to get changed? And if they cross back over the boundary the teachers will get them straight away thinking that us crossing it was actually them, they have to be here in the village somewhere." Peter said.

"But where?" Lizzie asked.

"Somewhere he wanted to take her? Somewhere he'd seen the two of you?" Peter suggested, "He obviously wanted to use imperious like the two of you had maybe he wanted to-"

"The woodland below the ledge," Raulph interrupted jumping to his feet and sprinting back down the alleyway, "at Easter when he took her..." he let the others work that out for themselves as he tore to the end of the alley and back out into the glowing street.

The sky was now pitch black but the light from the torches cast a warming glow over the village, "Up here," Raulph shouted to them as he glanced back to see where they were.

At the top of the road Raulph stopped and looked around, it was much darker now they had left the glow of the torches behind and he could only just make out the small wooded area where he and Lily had made love to each other months ago. He let the others catch up to him before he began to edge closer to the woodland, Raulph was sure that they were in there and he did not want to alert David to the fact so he could take off with her again before they found them. Holding his finger to his lip he indicated to the others that they should be quiet too and then he started to creep forwards slowly and quietly listening out for any clue that they had come to the right place.

Stepping carefully over the ground, desperately hoping to avoid any twigs which could snap and show their presence, the four of them stepped closer and closer to the little knot of trees, it was a small woodland but almost as tightly packed as a forest and they knew it would be difficult to see once they got inside it. Lizzie was trying not to shiver but the cold mountain air had now reached them as the sun had gone completely and the glowing torches were way behind them. In their haste to find Lily they had not spared a thought for warm clothing but nobody really cared as the safety of their loved one was the only thing on their mind. Raulph's hand lifted in the air could just be made out in the darkness and his three companions stopped abruptly as he crept slowly forwards, he had spotted a pale soft glow coming from the knot of trees and he knew he had found his target, he was desperate to hurtle into the midst but knew now that it was the wrong way to act, he needed to get there slowly and silently.

Almost on tiptoes he crept up to a tree and peered round it, his breath caught in his throat at the scene in front of him and he almost forgot his resolve to approach carefully but a quick glance around showed him that David had an escape route planned. In the clearing just short of him was a small golden goblet which was glowing blue, Raulph recognised it immediately as a portkey and knew that if he made his presence known now David would grab it taking him and Lily somewhere else and they would be back on the chase again.

His heart ached unbearably for Lily as he saw her dressed in the shimmering green satin dress which she had worn at the Yule ball, David had her backed up against a tree just as Raulph had had her that day they had been in here and he was kissing her passionately. It made him sick to see Lily's hands twisted around David's head but he had to remind himself that she was under a curse and not doing it because she wanted to, suddenly David hitched up her skirt and slid his hand all the way up her thigh towards an area that Raulph knew only he had ever touched before then Lily jumped up and wrapped her legs around his waist as he continued to kiss her hungrily, almost savagely. Raulph wanted to hurt him but he knew he had to wait until he could remove the portkey somehow, it was almost killing him to have to watch them but he knew he would not let it go too far. He turned back to the others who had stopped a few feet away and they looked at him hopefully waiting for instruction on what to do next, he pointed at Peter and then beckoned him with his hand.

Peter walked cautiously towards his friend stopping at the tree and almost gasping himself when he saw the two of them, Raulph pointed at the portkey and looked helplessly at Peter who knew what he had to do. Their eyes darted back to the couple and Peter knew he had to act immediately, David's hand had now disappeared beneath Lily's skirt and Raulph could see a familiar look of relaxed desire on her face which made him sick to his stomach.

"Accio portkey," Peter called and he just had time to see Raulph jump over the tree roots and shout something before the goblet was in his hand and he was whisked away from the scene travelling through the air at great speed.

Lizzie gasped as she saw Peter disappear suddenly and she ran forwards to see what was going on, as he had jumped over the tree roots Raulph had once again shouted, "Get off her," and this time a startled looking David had turned around and attempted to grab the goblet while still holding Lily against the tree. His fingers closed around midair and he looked down in surprise at the empty space where the portkey had been moments before, his eyes bulged as he realised he had no escape route and that Raulph Krum was hurtling towards him with a mad look on his face. David jumped back and let Lily fall to the floor in a heap, she was still under the curse so she lay limp and staring at the bottom of the tree watching as Raulph's fist collided with David's face. Then Lizzie joined the scene and wrapped her arms around her friend she looked frantically around for Peter and called his name over and over desperately worried about where he had now disappeared to.

The fight between the two boys went on for a few minutes as Raulph took out all his frustrations that had built up over the course of their chase on the unsuspecting boy beneath him. David tried to fight back but Raulph was so angry with him that he could barely defend himself never mind fight back and the two girls could do nothing but watch. After what felt like a long time but was only actually a few seconds Terry came hurtling onto the scene and tried to pull Raulph away from the flailing boy beneath him, he was shouting at him as he tried telling Raulph that the school and the ministry wouold deal with him but one man was not enough to stop him and his pleas went unheard.

A moment later Lizzie gasped as Peter came running back into the woodland; he was panting and had evidently run from somewhere else but he joined Terry in the attempt to pull Raulph away and after another second or two their combined efforts were enough to end the fight.

"Stop," Peter shouted, "what about Lily?" he said and as he heard her name he turned to look back at the tree where Lizzie was sat holding a sobbing Lily in her arms.

During the cuffufle the imperious curse had been lifted and after a few moments of confusion the reality of the situation had dawned on the poor girl who was suddenly feeling terrified and violated, her dress was torn and her hair dishevelled and she peered up at Raulph through enormous, terrified eyes and his heart broke again as he ran towards her lifting her up in his arms and holding her tightly against his body. Terry removed the Griffindor cloak he was wearing and draped it gently over Lily's slight form in Raulph's muscular arms, she pulled it around herself and layed her head aginst Raulph's shoulder. She was sobbing and shivering as he kissed her forehead and whispered, "It's alright, it's alright Lily, I'm here now, it's alright." He could almost feel the shock and pain that she was experiencing and he wanted to return that pain to the panting boy now laid on the floor holding his hand against a swelling jaw. "You disgust me," he spat as he squeezed Lily against his body again and began to walk away. Peter and Terry took hold of an arm each and pulled David to his feet Lizzie stepped forward with a look of revulsion on her face and took his wand from the inside of the dress robes he was wearing, robes which were now stained with blood and ripped.

Lily continued to sob as Raulph carried her down the glowing main street of Lisleberg and back to the sleigh which was still waiting outside the Alpine Horn, he sat her down in the front seat but she clung to him desperately as he tried to let her go, "It's alright," he whispered softly, "I'm not going to leave you," she let him go for a second and he turned to see where the others were.

"What has been going on?" said a shrill voice behind them, "How dare you leave the fortress?" Their heads turned and they saw Professor McGonagall standing behind the sleigh, a stern look on her face. "Lily, what is wrong?" she asked in a slightly more compassionate voice as she noticed the shivering and sobbing girl in the front, then as if her voice had been a signal several other teachers including Professor Nitschmann appeared from alleyways along the main street of Lisleberg.

"Lily?" said Professor Longbottom as he approached the sleigh and noticed the weeping girl.

"David?" Professor McGonagall's shrill voice rang out again as she caught sight of the young and beaten boy being dragged towards them, "what on earth?"

"Professors," Raulph began knowing that Lily would be unable to explain what had happened in her present state, "David Clearwater abducted Lily using the imperious curse during the final task this afternoon and brought her down here. Then he proceeded to," he coughed uncomfortably and glanced over at his beautiful and shaking girlfriend, "to try and assault her," he added in a hushed tone. McGonagall's eyes widened in horror and Professor Longbottom took a step towards the sleigh as if trying to offer her some father like protecton, "She didn't turn up at the task and we were worried," Raulph went on, "we tried to find her at the castle and when we went to the train a house elf told us that she had left with David arm in arm which we found curious. We searched his things and found a receipt for the Grogger so we took one of the sleighs and came down to find her. He had taken her up into the woodland to..." he paused, not wanting to shame Lily anymore by continuing and knowing full well that the Professors would be able to make their own conclusions.

"Professor Longbottom, please would you take Lily back up to the castle, perhaps with her friends," Professor Nitschmann said as he approached their own headmistress, "I think it pertinent that we escort Mr Clearwater back up to the school ourselves in the second sleigh." Professor Longbottom nodded his head in response and beckoned for the other students to join him in the sleigh with Lily, she was still shaking and crying quietly and as he had explained the situation to them Raulph had heard her sob intermittently at various comments and his heart had gone to her. He wanted to rip David in two for what he had done but he knew that was not going to help Lily or change what had happened and he knew that he had to focus on her for the time being so after giving the boy one more disgusted stare he climbed onto the seat next to her. As soon as he was seated she reached out for him and he put one arm around her protectively holding her close and allowing her to sob onto his shoulder, Professor Longbottom sat on the other side of her while Terry, Peter and Lizzie sat in the rear seat of the old sleigh. Gently it began to move forwards turning around on the street and heading back up the hill at a much more sedate pace than it had descended it, wending its way back to the institute. Lily clung to Raulph the whole way and he tenderly brushed her hair with one hand and tried to soothe her with soft whispers of, "It's alright, you're safe now, nothing else can happen to you."

Twenty minutes later they were sat in the headmaster's office of the Durmstrang institute, Lily was still holding Raulph's arm and had her head leant against her best friend's shoulder; she had managed to stop herself crying but had not spoken a word. Peter hovered in the background with Terry feling uncomfortable as they waited for Professors Nitschmann and McGonagall to join them. Nobody spoke, no one had anything to say and most of all they did not know what to say to comfort Lily who just stared at a picture on the wall of a knight on horseback. Like the Hogwart's pictures the occupants moved around and the knight in this one kept darting off the side of the picture and appearing in the background of a landscape painting to the right.

This room was very different to the office of the headteacher at Hogwarts, there were no pictures of previous headteachers for a start and it had a much less homely feel to it, this was a functional room only and was equipped with only the instruments a headmaster was likely to need in his day to day running of a large wizarding school. There were no curious items or instruments whic h whizzed and whirred and the desk was a steely grey as opposed to the dark, shiny wooden one which McGonagall worked at. The walls were bare castle stone though they were covered here and there with wall hangings and tapestries depicting various battle scenes all done it quite drab, grey colours.

Suddenly the door opened and the two headteachers accompanied by Professor Longbottom entered the room looking harried, Nitschmann took his seat behind the desk as McGonagall stepped over to Lily and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Her parents should be informed Professor," said Professor Nitschmann.

"If I may, professor Nitschmann," Longbottom interrupted, "I can do that, the Potters are close friends of mine and it may come a little easier from me."

"Of course," he agreed, "You may use the floo network in the deputy headteacher's office next door," he explained and after a mournful glance at Lily he left the room to contact her parents.

"Lily," professor McGonagall began softly walking over to her and placing a hand on her shoulder reassuringly, "can you tell us what happened?"

She looked up into the face of her headteacher and began in a quiet, mousey voice, "I went back to the train to get a banner that I had made for Raulph and then I was going to go down to the stands," she was still holding onto Raulph's hand and he rubbed it lovingly as she told her story trying to will her into explaining everything, "I was just about to leave through the common room when I saw D...D...David," she stuttered over his name as if in fear of it, "I said hello and was going to walk out of the room when I felt a little strange and then decided I would leave with him, it...it seemed so...so normal to do it." She looked apologetically at Raulph through enormous orbs and he shook his head to let her know that it was alright then she swallowed hard.

"Where did he take you?" Professor McGonagall asked gently, Lily glanced around the room at all the people and her headteacher asked, "Would you prefer to do this alone?" but she shook her head and continued, evidently feeling safer with her rescuers around her.

"We...we went for a walk away from the train up to the school and around the empty courtyard, he took me into one of the common rooms where we," she looked down to avoid Raulph's gaze as she continued, "we kissed in there," she shuddered as if the thought revulsed her now. She could not look back at Raulph who was beginning to simmer again inside as he listened to what David had done, he was not angry with Lily but he could see that she thought he might be as she refused to look at him. He squeezed her hand gently trying to get her to glance his way but she turned back to McGonagall and continued. "After a while he took my hand and we walked to the gates where all the people were starting to leave, press, visitors and parents were all there crossing in and out and we just walked across the boundary and into the wood at the side, he held me against a tree for a while until people had begun to apparate away and after about half an hour when the place was empty we began to walk down to the village arm in arm. I...I just kept going, I couldn't see a reason not to." She glanced quickly at Raulph again who had not yet taken his eyes off her and then she looked away gulitilyjust as quickly and his heart went out to her as if he could read her thoughts and he wished everyone would leave them alone for a while so he could explain that she had nothing to feel bad about.

"He took me to a dirty inn in Lisleberg and he had a room booked, I didn't think anything of it so we went inside and he took me to a dark room down a dank landing," she shuddered again and a small sob escaped her.

"We can continue this later if you want to," Professor McGonagal said but Lily shook her head again wanting to tell them everything now in the hope that it would stop hr thinking about it anymore.

"He had my green dress," she went on looking down at it, she was wrapped in a thick blanket now but her ball gown was still on underneath it, "I changed into it and we left the place heading down to the woodland where...where Raulph found me," she looked up at him again then and he could see the hurt she thought she was causing him in her eyes and he tried to tell her with his own that he loved her no matter what and that she had absolutelynothing to feel guilty about.

"He was kissing her Professor," Raulph interrupted, he was trying to take the onus off Lily to continue the story and she sat back gratefully gasping at his words but allowing him to go on for her. "And touching her in..." he peered at Lily as she sobbed a little but he knew he had to tell them everything if David was going to be punished properly, "in intimate places," he finished putting his own hand on his leg to indicate rather than explain how the boy had assaulted her. "There was also a portkey glowing behind him and it was within his reach so I waited and called for Peter." He looked up at his still uncomfortable looking friend who stepped forward a little to add his part to the story.

"I summoned the portkey to get it out of the way and it took me back to the room at the Grogger," Peter interjected, "I ran back out immediately and went straight to the woodland where I found-"

"Found me attacking David," Raulph said showing no shame whatsoever for what he had done. "He was trying to...to...to rape her," he added in a whisper and Lily sobbed at the word, his arm went instinctively around her shoulder and he held her close as she started to cry once more. At that same moment the office door flew open and Professor Longbottom re-entered the room with Lily's distraught looking mother and father behind him.

"Lily," Ginny sobbed running towards her daughter, at the sound of her voice Lily turned and gasped before standing up and allowing herself to be enfolded in her arms, Harry was only steps behind his wife and he took them both into his own arms and started to rock them lovingly, he also looked over at Raulph and gave him a look of immense gratitude nodding his head at the boy but too choked up to actually say anything.

"I think some of us should leave," the Durmstrang headmaster suggested nodding at Terry, Peter and Lizzie, and he stood up quietly nodded at the other two professors and then left his own room accompanied by the three students.

Harry guided his family to the chair Lily had vacated and Raulph jumped up from his swiftly to allow Ginny to sit with her, he stood behind Lily with one hand on her shoulder as Professor McGonagall coughed and then began to fill them in on the events of the day. Neville had only been able to say that Lily had been abducted under the imperious curse but was now safe and back at the school. It had taken him a while to find them as they had been at the Burrow, Molly had been there too and was almost a step behind them in the fireplace but Neville had explained that Lily was now safe and that too many people at once would be too much for her and after a few more words from Ginny she had relented and agreed to wait by the fire for news.

McGonagall did not go into explicit detail about the kisses and the position Lily had been found in but she did suggest that David had been about to compromise her and Harry had nodded his understanding as Lily burst into fresh sobs. As she had explained how Raulph had found them and attacked David Harry had looked up at him gratefully again knowing that it was exactly what he would have done for both his daughter and the woman that he loved. He remembered when Ginny had been abducted shortly before their wedding day and hearing that something similar had happened to his daughter had terrified him. However he had also known immediately how Raulph would have felt about it and knew exactly why he had gone tearing after her himself without informing the teachers, though he would have liked to have been informed of the situation earlier and done something to find her himself he did know why Raulph had not seen that.

"Thank you," Harry said walking over the the young man whom he had had mixed feelings about since he had discovered him lying naked on a rug with his little girl, "we owe you..." he glanced at his daughter who was being rocked by her sobbing mother, "...everything," he finished and then shook his hand. Raulph did not know what to say in response, he would have done anything for Lily Potter and though he appreciated and accepted their gratitude he would not have needed it to do it all again. He now knew that this was the girl he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, the one who was his soulmate, the one with whom he had found the magical love that his father had talked about, the same love he could see in the two newcomers to the room, Harry and Ginny Potter. Harry understood his silence and nodded at the boy who returned a half smile before placing the hand he had used to shake Harry's back on his beloved's shoulder.

Lily managed to hold back her sobs and calmed down enough to look at her parents, "I'm so sorry, Mum, Dad," she whispered.

"For what?" Ginny asked softly rubbing her daughter's hands.

"For this, for what happened."

"Darling," Harry began touching her other shoulder, "you have absolutely nothing to be sorry about, none of this is your fault," he added. "But there is one thing that I don't understand," he went on, "Neville told us that your defense against the dark arts teacher had said you were fantastic at throwing the imperious curse, that you had done it in the first lesson," Lily nodded slowly at her father, "I just don't understand why you weren't able to throw it today," he finished looking worriedly at her, Lily looked up over her shoulder at Raulph guiltily and he returned the same glare.

"What's going on?" Ginny asked slowly noticing the look that had passed between them and she started to feel a little edgy, she knew that guilty look and had seen it from her children many times usually over trivial things and not dangerous situations. They didn't say anything at first and Ginny flashed a worried look at her husband who's gaze also began to change as he looked from his daughter to the boy stood behind her who had saved her from this terrible situation.

"Lily?" Harry said in a soft but stern voice.

"I...we..." she began.

"We've been using the imperious," Raulph said, saving her from having to admit it to her parents herself.

"What?" Ginny gasped her hand flying to her mouth in horror.

"Not often," Lily tried to explain quickly.

"That...that doesn't matter, you've been...been using imperious on each other, do you know how dangerous that is? You do, you know now, have you any idea what could have happened to you tonight if Raulph had not been there to rescue you Lily? How stupid can you have been?" Ginny said standing up and shaking her head in disbelief.

"I know, I'm sorry Mum, Dad we were just having a bit of fun and we thought it couldn't hurt anyone."

"What on earth did you need to use imperious for anyway? Especially at your age!"

The two teenagers looked guiltily at each other again and Harry eyes flew wide open as he realised just what they had been doing, he remembered Vernon telling him that some of the kids at Hogwarts had been using imperious on each other in sexual ways and though he had put it to the back of his mind after expressing how stupid it was the look on his daughter's face brought the knowledge straight back to him and he knew exactly what they had used the curse for. He rounded on Raulph who took a step backwards when he saw the fierce look in his eyes.

"You've been using the imperious curse on my daughter to...to..." he couldn't express the words that he wanted to say too afraid to actually say them about his own child.

"Daddy, no...no it wasn't like that," Lily cried seeing that her father was about to pin all the blame on Raulph.

"Oh I'm sure you're not completely innocent Lily but a young man like Krum should no better than to take advantage of a vulnerable young girl like you, getting his own...own...pleasure and training you to succumb to the imperious curse, I would have thought that the child of an auror would know better than to use an unforgivable curse to get a woman to sleep with him."

Raulph's eyes widened in shock, "No, it wasn't like that Mr Potter, I didn't...I never forced Lily to do anything that she wasn't willing to do, even under the imperious, I wouldn't...ever, I respect her too much for that, I love her too much for that. I know it was a stupid thing to do and I will never forgive myself for doing it but you have to believe I would never ever have forced Lily into anything."

He was pleading and seeing the look in his eyes Lily jumped to his side to defend him too, "Dad it's the truth, it was all my idea, Raulph didn't want to do it but I asked him to and he never forced me into anything, in fact it was probably more the other way around-"

"He would get you to think that Lily, but he's a virile young man who knows what he wants and how to get it, I was grateful to you for rescuing my daughter from this horrendous situation," Harry went on turning back to Raulph," but now I realise it was because of you that she was put in the situation in the first place, you used an unforgivable on her for sexual gratification," he spat the words as if they were too difficult to say about his own daughter, "you are no better than the twisted young boy who took her today, you just managed to worm your way into her life aswell."

"No Daddy, no he didn't it wasn't-"

"Lily, you are coming home with us now, and Raulph," he said angrily turning to look at him again, "you will stay away from my daughter, she is to have no further contact with you do you understand?"

"No," Lily wailed, "Daddy, no, you can't do this, I won't come with you, I won't. I'm staying here with Raulph," with this statement she jumped to his side and clung to his arm and the sandy haired boy took her hand in his and held it tight.

"Lily Luna Potter you will come home with us this instant and you will not see this boy again, do you understand?" he pronounced slowly staring vehemently at the young lovers. Lily began to shake her head, determined that she would not leave Raulph's side but her father continued to stare at her waiting for her to move away from him and leave with the two of them.

"Lily, Sweetheart please," Ginny began trying to be the calming influence, she was shocked to her very core that Lily and Raulph had done something so stupid and she was desperate to get Lily back to their home where she would be safe but she also knew alot about young love and teenage defiance and she knew that getting Lily away from him would not be easy.

"Raulph Krum, if you know what is good for you," Harry began his eyes blazing with an anger Ginny had not seen in them for many years, "you will stay away from my daughter and let her come home with us right now." He was simmering near boiling point with anger and Ginny knew that if Lily did not relent soon he would lose his temper with them both.

"No," Lily cried again, tears beginning to run unchecked down her face, "I won't leave him," she said, "I love him, he saved me tonight."

"Lily your mother and I are leaving with you tonight and you can come willingly or we will find a way to make you come, we are your parents and though you may be of age legally, you are still our ward until you leave school next year so may I suggest you make this as painless as possible and come with us now? I will not have you fraternising with this boy any longer," his voice rose higher towards the end of his speech but it only served to make Lily more determined. She wiped the tears from her face with the blanket which was still wrapped around her shoulders and stared back at her father summoning up all the Weasley stubbornness that she possessed. Raulph looked from the girl he loved to the parents who loved her just as much and realised that he should urge her to go, they were distraught and upset over her ordeal and it was true that he was just as mad with himself for their stupidness as they were with him. They needed to get their daughter home, no matter how much he wanted her to stay there, and he knew that he was the only person who would make her see that.

"Lily," he began taking her other hand in his and looking down into her face, "go with them," her mouth fell open in shock as she stared back at him, "they love you and are worried about you, go with them now, let them take you home where you will be safe, let them see that and let them calm down. I will never leave you I promise, I love you but for now you should go with your Mum and Dad," he looked up at them at this point and saw that Ginny's face had softened a little at his gesture even though Harry's remained as stoney as it had been for the last few minutes.

"But," she uttered.

"Lily," he went on and then paused to kiss her gentlyhe could practically feel Harry bristling but he needed to give Lily some gesture to show that he meant what he said, "I love you, but so do they and they need to have you now you've been through a lot today, go home and I will come to see you in a few days, I promise." He looked deep into her eyes and she seemed to hear and understand him.

"Do you swear?" she asked, tears glistening in her eyes.

"I swear," he said before kissing her on the forehead and pulling her into a fierce hug, he could barely let go of her then but he was strong and knew that he must, looking back at her parents he nodded respectfully but he only received a curt nod from Ginny, Harry was continuing to stare at him with a look of mingled disgust and anger. Lily walked slowly over to to her parents with a mournful look on her face and allowed her mother to put an arm over her shoulder, Raulph remained where he was and watched her walk away. At the door she paused to look back at him and he mouthed the words, "I love you," and then she went through the door and his heart sank.

He watched as Harry followed them out of the room but before he closed the door behind them the raven haired wizard looked straight at Raulph and said in a quiet but audible voice, "Do not try to contact my daughter again," and then he closed the door swiftly behind him leaving a stunned Raulph to contemplate these words as Professors McGonagall and Longbottom tried to take on board everything that they had just heard.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18 – Love Always

Raulph Krum stared out at the street below his bedroom window, a half eaten sandwich lay discarded on the window seat and an empty bottle of butterbeer sat beside it, he had barely eaten a thing in two and a half weeks and it was starting to show in his body, usually he kept himself fit and strong but ever since Lily had been taken away from his school by her parents he had completely lost his appetite. After the meeting in the headmaster's room Raulph had been asked to retell the whole story to the British Minister's Senior Undersecretary who had found every way possible to keep under wraps the fact that the nephew of the Minister herself had used an unforgivable curse on a young school girl in order to seriously assault her. David had been taken away by the Undersecretary and was transported to Azkaban immediately to await trial, it would be short as he had pleaded guilty realising that there were too many witnesses to deny the charge. In a strange way Raulph felt sorry for the boy, he was after all the same age as him and though his crime had been unforgivable Raulph also realised that while his intentions had been completely different it did not excuse the fact that he too had used an unforgivable curse on Lily, an act which had led her to become more vulnerable to the curse and less able to throw it off in situations with other men.

He still cursed himself daily for being so stupid and could completely understand why Harry and Ginny did not want him anywhere near Lily but that understanding did not take away the heartache he felt constantly. He was supposed to be applying for jobs as he had officially finished school a few days ago but his heart was in no mood for anything other than to see the girl he loved so desperately. He had written to Lily and written to her parents but he had heard nothing in reply from either of them and he assumed that Harry and Ginny must be checking the post. He also knew that Lily's brothers would be doing the same too and as Raulph could not visit their home because it was unplottable and impossible to find unless you had been given the address by the secret keeper he had no other choice but to wait and see if Lily could find a way to contact him. He felt as if he had given up the fight but short of visiting her relatives, which he was sure Harry would be rather angry about, he could do nothing except give them some space to calm down and perhaps listen to Lily whom he hoped was trying to convince them that she loved Raulph as much as he loved her.

"Raulph, sweetheart," came a voice from the doorway, it was his mother who had come to visit for a few days now that school was over, "you have a visitor," his heart lifted into his mouth at the hope that it was Lily but it fell back to the pit of his stomach when he saw a different member of the Weasley clan poke her head around the doorway, it was his cousin Dominique.

"Hey," she said in a sympathetic voice, something which surprised Raulph as they had only ever been sarcastic with one another, "baring up as well as Lily then?" she said moving the plate of half eaten sandwich and the empty bottle out of the way so she could sit down.

"You've seen her?" he asked in a slightly brightened voice.

"Only once," she replied, "Uncle Harry hardly lets her out of the house, they came over for Dad's birthday last night and she was so depressed and sullen," part of Raulph wanted to jump for joy at the thought that she still loved him and was missing him as much as he missed her but he also hated to think of her being so miserable when he could do nothing to eliviate it. "She hardly eats, she's pale and thin and looks terrible, Harry thinks it's because of what happened to her but it's not," she went on, "I think she's over that, because he never got the chance to actually sleep with her, thank Merlin, she's come to terms with what happened, a few kisses and a little touching is not as terrible as it could have been, even if it is with a lowlife who would use a curse to get it."

"She's alright about what happened then?"

"Yes, because you saved her, you rescued her and all she can think about or talk about is you, she has pleaded and begged her father to let her go back to school, to let her come and see you, to allow you to the house but he won't budge, he thinks it's all your fault because of what you did." Raulph looked down shamefaced at the street again, "I can't believe you did it though Raulph, how stupid could-"

"I know Dom," he interrupted in an angry voice "I know, it's all I can think about now, it was ridiculous and at first I was totally against it but then we kept talking about it and at first it was Lily wanting to practise throwing and casting the curse for school and I thought it would be harmless but then, I don't know, it just sort of escalated and we were doing it for...other things, Lily was shy and wanted..." he coughed uncomfortably, being of a similar age he and Dominique had always been closer than he was to Victoire and Louis but they had always had more of a wind up relationship than a personal one and it was hard for him to talk to her so openly about sex, especially as Lily was her cousin too.

"I know," Dominique said saving him, "Lily told me why you did it and I guess now I can see why she might have wanted to use it, but it was still stupid, I asked her when we were over here at Easter and she said that you hadn't used it at all, I knew you were sleeping together by then, well actually everyone did then I suppose," she grinned cheekily at him and his face started to flush, "but I knew because she had written to me earlier asking about contraceptive potions and stuff," Raulph's face continued to redden at her words, "but I never dreamed you would do something so dangerous."

"I know, I get it," Raulph said sternly jumping up from the seat and walking away from the window, "We were stupid and I beat myself up over it everyday, I can totally see why Harry doesn't want me to see her ever again, I'd be exactly the same if I found out that someone had put you in the same position I did, and so would your Dad. I should have said no and left it at that, I should have found some other way to make her feel comfortable and now it makes me look like I was only after one thing from her like that lowlife Clearwater." He sighed deeply, "I deserve all of this I know, but it doesn't stop me loving her and missing her and-"

"Whoa," Dominique interjected in a loud voice, "Raulph, Lily is not completely innocent in all this, you were both stupid we know that but Uncle Harry has to realise that she played a part as well, she imperioused you too, and it was her idea originally, she told me last night. And Lily can be a very persuasive person when she wants to be too, she usually has Harry wrapped around her little finger, in any other situation she would have had his mind changed by now, but I guess this was so much more serious than anything she's done in the past. Yes you were stupid but let's face it is there anything you wouldn't do for her?" she grinned up at him with a knowing smile but he did not nod or shake his head in response. "Her parents need to remember just what she is like and get past what happened to her, after all it's because of you that it didn't go any further, they need to see the wonderful couple that you are, yes I know you are not used to hearing things like that from me," she added looking at the bemused expression on his face, "but you two are like...like...well Harry and Ginny. We all know that the Weasley family love each other and shower that love on each other like I don't know what, but we also all know that Harry and Ginny's love is different to everyone else's, they went through so much to be together, Mum talks about it all the time, and they have this bond, this connection, something really special, like you do with Lily."

"So what do I do?" Raulph asked sitting on the bed and putting his head in his hands, "How do I get them to see that? I don't even know when I'll be able to see her again."

"Er...Saturday?" she said sarcastically.

"What?" he asked in confusion, "How am I...?"

"It's Victoire and Teddy's wedding," she said exasperatedly rolling her eyes at him, "don't tell me you'd forgotten." He slowly nodded his head, with all the things that had happened at school and then coming home to his father's house he had completely forgotten the fact that their mutual cousin and Harry'sGodson would be getting married at the weekend. Lily was going to be a bridesmaid with all the other Weasley girls and Harry would have to let her go to that.

"I could talk to Harry on my own," he said confidently brightening slightly at the thought that he could see her and maybe have a chance to sort things out, "I could try and make him see how...how sorry I am for putting Lily in that situation-"

"I'm not sure that is a very good idea," Dominique interrupted, "I'm not sure he will take that from you just yet, he's still very mad and like I said, he needs to realise for himself that Lily played a part too, but with the wedding in full swing you'll at least be able to see Lily and perhaps later on, together, you could talk to her parents again, make them see how in love you are, perhaps remind them of how they used to be? I think Aunt Ginny is starting to realise that now, she was angry for her daughter at first but she knows Lily is not quite the perfect little girl that her Dad and brothers see, she grew up with six brothers who didn't see it in her for a long time and she knows there is some Ginny Weasley in her daughter. She was so upset about what had happened to her that she hasn't tried to make Harry see it yet, but she knows it and she has noticed how Lily pines for you." Raulph guiltily looked away from his cousin then and she sighed before taking on a Molly Weasley like stance with her hands on her hips and continuing, "Stop beating yourself up about that as well as everything else! Honestly stop being noble and accept the fact that she loves and misses you! It's romantic...I suppose," she added pretending to gag on the words and making Raulph chuckle for the first time in almost three weeks, "that's better!" she laughed, "I'm not saying it will be easy Raulph but my cousin is a stubborn girl and she will have what she wants eventually, even if that is you!" she barked raising her eye brows and giving him a sarcastic look, "Now get this sandwich eaten and for god's sake have a shave cause if she sees you looking like this she'll be running back to the creep in Azkaban!" she joked and Raulph smiled half heartedly at her again relishing the return to their usual way of interacting with each other. "Any messages for her?" she added smiling, "Harry will be banned from the girl's room on Saturday morning while we're getting ready!"

"Tell her I love her," Raulph said seriously.

"Oh dear God, I can't tell her that!" she laughed pretending to gag on the sentiment again and then they both began to laugh a little as Raulph started to look forward to a weekend where he could at least see Lily even of he could not be with her.

"Dom," he whispered.

"Hmm."

"Thanks."

"Dear Merlin you'd better get this sorted out soon cause I can't take much more of your seriousness! I'd rather have you chasing me with a fish anyday over this!" she chuckled but she smiled wrily at him letting her know that she would be there for him no matter what.

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She looked like a goddess, as far as he was concerned she completely outshone the bride, but he would think that, he was in love with her. The deep crimson fitted robe accentuated every curve of her body, the nip at her waist with an indiscreet satin flower showed her thin middle and allowed the robes to fall in folds around her hips and legs it looked a little loose and he could tell that she had lost some weight in the last few weeks but it did not make her look any less beautiful. The scooped neck showed a glimmer of cleavage and the soft creamy skin of her neck, the satin cloak around her shoulders hid thin straps of cloth which held the whole dress in place. With her dark hair piled up in rolls on top of her head he thought she had never looked so beautiful in all the time her had known her but the dark shadows under her eyes revealed the torture and pain of her last few weeks and once more the guilt that he had had a lot to do with that plagued him like locusts attacking his heart in every beat and making him realise what a fool he had been.

He had arrived at the Burrow early hoping to catch a glimpse of her but Dominique had managed to esacpe for only a minute to tell him that all the girls were ensconced in the upstairs rooms of the Burrow and that Harry was more or less keeping guard at the bottom of the steps, knowing as a man deeply in love himself, that Raulph would seize any opportunity to talk to Lily. He had half wanted to stop her coming to the wedding knowing that Victor and Raulph would be there aswell but he knew she had an important part to play and that Victoire, along with Bill, Fleur and Teddy, would be deeply upset if she had been kept away. Harry also knew that he would need to stay alert all day to ensure that the two children did not have any opportunity to get together.

Lily had returned home with them from Durmstrang and had practically locked herself in her room ever since, Harry had refused to allow her to leave Grimmauld Place and as a result of that she had dained to not leave her room except for at mealtimes and to visit the bathroom. She barely ate anything when she did join them for meals and she was becoming paler and thinner by the day but he refused to believe it was to do with anything other than the ordeal she had been through with the Hufflepuff boy. He had been scared out of his wits for her when he had first found out what had happened and had known at that moment that he would be eternally grateful to Raulph Krum for resucuing her, but when he had found out that he had helped to put her in such a vulnerable position by abusing an unforgivable curse in what he believed was practically the same way, he had been more determined to make sure that the boy never went near his daughter again than he had been about anything else in his whole life. Lily had tried numerous times to convince him that it was all her fault and all her idea but above all he believed that the son of an auror should have had more sense than to do something so dangerous even if the idea had been planted in his head by someone else. It was only due to Lily's constant begging that he had agreed not to have Krum arrested for rape himself and the fact that she said she would wholeheartedly deny it anyway, Harry realised that the only way to get the boy out of his daughter's life was for them to be separated until she had gotten over her teenage crush.

A few nights earlier Ginny had tried to talk to him about the whole thing, she was worried about Lily's health and had tried to reason that it was because she missed and loved the boy so much, she had tried to make him see that they had both made a terrible mistake and had both paid a high price for it, but the discussion had ended in an argument when Harry had made it clear that Lily had nothing more than crush on the boy and that she would get over it in a few weeks time. Ginny had turned her back on him in bed that night and refused to speak to him more than civilly for a few days but Harry had put it down to worry over Lily's ordeal and refused to see what she was trying to show him. James, Albus and Vernon had been in complete agreement with their father on the matter and it was only because they did not want to ruin Teddy and Victoire's wedding day that they had controlled their anger and not tried to curse the Krum boy on his arrival at the wedding. Raulph had attempted to speak to the Potters and shake their hands when he had first seen them but he had been snubbed by all the brothersand had received a rather vehement stare from their father.

Now Harry was sat beside his wife, who was still being a little stiff with him, watching Raulph Krum sat with his mother and father a few seats along from where they were. He could see that the boy was watching Lily avidly and it was only the constant reminder that it was Victoire and Teddy's day that stopped him too from yelling at the boy. He nodded curtly at Victor and Gabrielle and they returned a civil nod before turning to watch the ceremony.

It all passesd in a blur of red for Raulph, he could not take his eyes off Lily and once or twice he had caught her eye and she had almost melted at the sight of him, she kept glancing from Raulph to her father and he could see the pain she was experiencing in her eyes. He prayed that Dominique had passed on his message and a short nod from her just before the end of the ceremony confirmed that she had. As Teddy and Victoire, both wearing radiant smiles, stepped down from the slightly raised platform at the front of the room and headed down the aisle beaming at their guests Raulph continued to watch Lily who took the arm of a well dressed wizard whom he assumed was one of Teddy's friends and made her way down the aisle behind Dominique and Teddy's best man, Arran. His heart broke as he thought that if Harry got his way Lily might one day be walking down the aisle with another man like this one and he strengthened his resolve to sort out the mess as soon as possible. She beamed at him through pain filled eyes when she passed by his row and then glanced the opposite way to see the stern look on her father's face, her smile dropped and she continued out of the marquee to greet other guests and give her best wishes to the newly married Lupins.

Raulph waited in the aisle until everyone had left before making his way inconspicuously into the crowd and seeking out Dominique, all the Weasley cousins were dressed in the same crimson dresses and it took him a moment to pick her out, she was stood with Lily and his heart leapt when he saw that they were alone near the kitchen doorway of the Burrow. He sidled over to them quickly checking that no one else had seen him heading in their direction and as he approached Lily grabbed his hand and dragged him into the kitchen as Dominique made a fast exit back to the crowds in the garden.

"I've missed you so much," Raulph whispered into her ear before kissing her tenderly on the lips, she sagged against him and returned the kiss vigorously as if it was the last one she would ever be able to give him.

"I missed you too," she returned as the kiss ended and they wrapped their arms around one another. Here in this room, alone, it felt tlike they had no worries, no troubles, there was nothing but the two of them and they began to kiss each other again earnestly until a sharp cough interrupted them. They pulled apart and turned to see Albus Potter standing at the kitchen table, a look of almost pure loathing on his face, Lily instinctively put her arm around Raulph as if to protect him from what was coming and Raulph tightened his hold on her.

"For the sake of you, Lily, I will not tell Dad about this, but I suggest that you leave, Krum, and stay away from my sister for the rest of this wedding, if my father catches the two of you together, or even knows that you have been together he will flip. I will ignore this one...slip," he said calmly, "but if I see you together again I will tell Dad, Lily." He looked as if it pained him to say it to the sister he loved so much and Raulph could tell that he was torn between his own feelings about what had happened, his desire to please his father and stick to his rules and his love for his little sister who he hated to see suffering in such a way.

"Albus, please," she begged trying to appeal to the side of him that loved her so much, the brother she had been so close to but he shook his head and Raulph knew they must wait for the right time.

"Lily, I'll go," he said and she looked at him through enormous eyes, "I don't want to ruin Vic's wedding and neither do you, we'll find a way, I promise but not today, not now." She continued to stare in disbelief but nodded understanding before fixing a deathly glare on her brother, walking over to the kitchen door and going back to the party outside.

"I know she thinks she loves you, Krum," Albus began when she had closed the door behind her, "but she'll get over it in time, I know she will and if you love her as much as you say you do you will let her do that, let her move on with her life and find somebody who will not put her in dangerous situations like you did. Stay away from her for the rest of the day if you know what's good for you, none of us want to spoil this day for Teddy and Victoire but James, Vernon, Dad and I will do what we need to do to keep Lily safe." Raulph stared at Lily's quietest brother who had just said these words, he would have expected to hear them from Harry or James or even Vernon but Albus had always been the quiet, thoughtful brother, the one who was easier going. His eyes still agog, Raulph watched as Lily's youngest brother turned to leave the Burrow's kitchen and it was a few minutes before he made his way back outside himself.

"I'm sorry," said a voice behind him when he reached the safety of the wedding party, "Aunt Muriel was talking to me and I couldn't get to Albus, Lily had asked me to keep watch but the old crone was going on and on about how beautiful her goblin wrought tiara looked on Vicroire's head and that one day I would be able to wear it just like she and my mother had done!"

"It's alright," he replied, "I don't think today is the right time, I should just go home."

"What? No you can't, Vic would be so upset and so would Lily for that matter, she's already worried that you might be forgetting her and-"

"What?" he shrieked, "Didn't you give her my message?"

"Of course I did but she's got it into her head that you might feel differently about her now because of what she did with David."

"But that wasn't her, or it wasn't her consciously," he barked as if trying to convince Dominique of the fact.

"I know that," she replied in a whisper trying to keep them both inconspicuous among the crowd, "But because she hasn't been able to see you she thinks you might be thinking...oh I don't know! Look I'll try and get you both together again later, just don't leave alright?" she asked and then she looked over his shoulder as someone called her name, "Photographs," she said, "I have to go, but you – STAY!" she finished in a loud whisper this time.

The rest of the day passed slowly, he caught glimpses of Lily here and there and everytime he caught her eye he smiled, willing her to understand that nothing had changed because of what had happened with David. They were seated at opposite ends of the room for the meal, no doubt an arrangement made by Harry earlier, and as the speeches were made he watched Lily across the crowd seeming to grow more and more downhearted. Eventually the final toasts were over and the plates and cutlery cleared themselves away, as the band set up on the raised platform used for the wedding ceremony the tables and chairs lifted themselves magically, with the occupants still seated, and cleared a dancefloor in the middle of the room. The lights dimmed as the music began and everyone watched avidly as Teddy and Victoire took to the floor for the first dance. Raulph sighed and turned away trying not to think about the fact that he could not whisk Lily into a romantic dance and was miles away when a soft hand touched his shoulder, he turned to see Dominique looking at him with one hand held out and he smiled before saying, "Are you kidding?"

"Just do it!" she replied grabbing his hand and pulling him onto the dancefloor. All the bridesmaids had now discarded their cloaks and Raulph felt extremely conscious of the fact that he had to touch his cousin's skin as they danced, he pulled a grimace and she chuckled, "Do you think I'm enjoying this either?" she said sarcastically as she pulled him over to the side of the dancefloor. Before he knew what was happening Dominique whispered, "Swap partners," and she pulled herself away quickly out of his hands allowing a more delicate and slender creamy one to take it's place. Lily's other arm wound around Raulph's neck and he subconsciously placed his own hands on Lily's body where moments before they had been hovering over Dominique's.

"Lily, what are you doing?" he asked looking around the room and seeing four Potter eyes burning into him, "What about your Dad?"

"My Dad won't cause a scene in the middle of the dancefloor at his godson's wedding," she replied spinning around and smiling for what felt like the first time in years, "outside yes, in the Burrow yes, but here? In the middle of a crowded room, in the middle of their first dance, he won't do it, he can stare all he wants but he won't do it and he won't stop me dancing with you either!" She smiled sweetly and he had to admire her bravery even though he knew they would both pay for it later, "I'm seventeen," she went on, "and I will not be treated like some little girl with a crush, I love you Raulph."

"And I love you too," he said pulling her tighter into his embrace and ignoring the venomous looks they were getting, if Lily could be this brave and go up against her own family then so could he.

From the other side of the room Harry stared at his daughter and Raulph Krum, he knew she had done this because he would not ruin Teddy's day and he could feel his fury rising within him like a kettle slowly bubbling away to boiling point, he sat in his seat and watched them defying him so openly and he felt the bubbling become hotter and hotter. A hand on his shoulder pulled him back and he turned to look at his wife who was smiling at him but he stood up and walked out of the marquee to calm down knowing that he would speak to his daughter later and Krum as soon as he had an opportunity.

Ginny followed her husband out of the marquee and caught a glimpse of him disappearing in a familiar direction, she smiled wrily to herself before taking the same path and catching up with him at the loveseat by the river. It had aged since the last time they had been there, weather had bleached it somewhat and parts of the wood had begun to crumble away over time but it was still strong and comforting and subconsciously Harry had taken solice in its familiarity. He had been so wrapped up in his thoughts that he had not even heard his wife following him, she had been stern with him ever since their argument about Lily and the wedding had been a slightly uncomfortable affair, so when she touched his shoulder he jumped slightly at the presence and turned to look into her deep chocolate eyes.

"Harry," she said gently sitting beside him on the seat.

"How could she defy us so blatently like that?" he asked.

"Because she loves him Harry," Ginny replied tryong to defend her daughter's actions.

"But it's just a crush, she'll get over it soon, when she's back at school, safe at Hogwarts and away from idiots like him she'll find someone else to have a crush on, she'll be able to move on if he would just stay away from her like I told him to," he said angrily.

"Harry, it isn't a crush."

"IT IS!" he shouted.

Ignoring his angry tone and taking her husband's hand in hers she sighed deeply but refused to get angry with him, "Harry, don't they remind you of anyone?"

"What do you mean?" he asked with a slightly confused expression but still with an angry edge to his voice.

"Lily and Raulph, or especially Lily," he looked at her curiously, "you asked Raulph to stay away from her and he has, not because he wanted to I'm sure but he stayed away. Lily is the one who sought him out tonight, she took that stubborn Weasley streak that she has and got Dominique to help her, they schemed so that she could dance with Raulph because she wanted to, but that boy has done nothing except try to stay away from her all day for your sake and, I'm sure, to ensure that you weren't angry with Lily."

"He's not completely innocent in-"

"And neither is our daughter Harry," she interrupted forcefully desperately sick of having the same conversation about the lovesick boy in the marquee.

"But he was so stupid Ginny, I can't believe you'd defend him when he put our only daughter in such danger."

"No Harry they were both stupid and they both put Lily in danger, she was just as much a part of it as he was."

"But he should have had more sense."

"Why?"

"Because he...he..."

"Harry on your seventeenth birthday we were up in my room and I kissed you, even though I knew you had to leave and I knew you might not even come back but I kissed you because I wanted to do it, and you kissed me back too. Now it may not have been a dangerous curse but it was something that we both knew we shouldn't have been doing but at that moment, think back darling, at that moment could you have stopped it? If we hadn't been interrupted by Ron and Hermione how long would it have gone on for? Where would it have led to?" He looked at her without speaking. "They were unbelievably stupid to use an unforgivable curse on each other Harry, I know that and Lily has told me that Raulph did not want to do it at first, that she had to persuade him to do so but our daughter kept trying to persuade him until he gave in and accepted."

"Well he should have stood his ground." Harry barked and Ginny began to laugh heartily, "What's so funny?"

"Darling, our daughter has a lot of her mother in her you know."

"What do you mean?"

"Harry did I ever give up when you wanted to stop the wedding for my sake? Did I stop and say 'oh alright then, if that's what you want?' No, I kept going, yes we had a bit of help but I didn't give up, I used every wily trick I could think of, like turning up at the flat and climbing into bed with you, you head was telling you to make me leave, to stop me doing what we did but what won?" she lifted her hand up to his chest and said, "Your heart won, Harry, your heart went against your head and we made love and held each other all night because that is what we both wanted isn't it?"

"But I would never have led you into danger like Raulph did with Lily, using an unforgivable curse like that was just...just...we would never have done that when we were teenagers."

"That is true Harry, we wouldn't have but we lived in different times, we were teenager who saw the imperious curse being used by death eaters to control people, to even kill people, we knew how dangerous it was, we could see it. But now it's different, children today can't see how dangerous it is, they didn't live through it, they have no first hand knowledge of how it can be used to do such wicked things. I'm not condoning for a second that it is right to use it in such a way, or even at all but all they have to go on is what the history books tell them and they are curious, curious children who experiment with stupid things."

"But Ginny, he put her in danger-"

"No they both put her in danger, she used the curse on him too, and as the daughter of an ex-auror she should also have known better. They both know how serious the situation could have been if Raulph hadn't caught up with them when he did, if Raulph hadn't have saved her. Which he did, Harry, because he loves her." She could see a slight softening in his eyes.

"But I just can't get past the fact that he put her in such danger, alright he didn't know it at the time but she still ended up being abducted by someone who had seen them doing the same thing. Who knows what he might have done to her, I still can't get my mind past the fact that in some small way he led her into it, if he loved her he should have seen what could happen."

"Like you saw Rodolphus Lestrange?" she said quietly and his eyes flew wide, "Harry, have you ever, really, for one moment forgiven yourself for that? Neither of us saw it coming but as an auror you knew that your loved ones could be placed in danger and we ignored that fact. Not that I have ever blamed you at all and you know that but in your heart you have never quite forgiven yourself have you? A tiny part of you has always blamed yourself for it and I know that, but we got on with our lives and learned from it didn't we? I don't notice it anymore but can you tell me what is in your left robe pocket next to your wand?" she smiled wrily at him as his hand slid inside and closed around the old, silver diluminator which was always stowed safely with his wand even now. "They both did something stupid Harry, and they both know that and do you think they will ever forgive themselves? Either of them? No, they will carry this situation around with them forever just like we do, they were fortunate, we were all fortunate that it wasn't worse, that David didn't assault her more seriously but you know that Raulph will never forget it, or stop beating himself up over it and we both know from our own experience that he will never let her be put in such a situation again."

"I...I don't...I can't...I'm sorry Ginny," he said standing up, "but she's our daughter, our precious daughter and they are just teenagers, stupid teenagers who may have learned a lesson, but I just can't let her continue to see him, I love her too much."

"Even if she starts to resent you for doing it to her," Ginny said softly looking up at her husband.

She saw a cloud pass over his emerald eyes at that idea but he turned his head away and whispered, "She'll get over him," and then he stood up and walked away along the river before his wife could start to change his mind again. He remembered all of these things and he remembered how bad he had felt with himself when Ginny was abducted, and yes he had gone through with marrying her, something which had made his life complete and happy in so many ways, including most of all, giving him three wonderful children. He had not put Ginny in danger through his own stupid actions, it had been because of his job and no matter how hard he tried to accept Ginny's arguments he could not get past the fact that Raulph had placed his beautiful daughter, the daughter he might not have had because of his own mistakes, his Lily in such danger for a bit of fun and he just could not forgive the boy for doing that."

Back in the marquee Lily was still dancing with Raulph, they weren't saying anything to each other, they just held one another close and danced, ingnoring the stares they were getting from Vernon, James and Albus, the only other people in the room, apart from Dominique, who knew the reason why Lily had been unable to throw the imperious curse. Their father's anger coursed through their own bodies as they saw the brazenness of the couple who were now the only two people still dancing, across the room Dominique smiled at them knowingly though she also knew that this brief moment of happiness would not last for long as she too could see the poisonous stares shooting across the dancefloor from the Potter boys and their cousin.

"You know that nothing has changed don't you Lily?" Raulph whispered in her ear, her head was laid on his shoulder but she didn't respond to his comment. "Dominique told me that you thought my feelings for you had changed after what happened with..." he didn't say the name but knew she understood what he was talking about, "if anything they have grown even stronger, the moment I knew you were missing I could sense that something wasn't right, we searched the school we looked everywhere and when we finally knew you were in the village I had to find you. When I saw you in the woodland with him, I wanted to tear him limb from limb, but seeing you with him like that, knowing that it wasn't you, not the real you reminded me just how strong we are, of just how much we do love each other. It wasn't you Lily, he was controlling you, I know you were only giving in, relenting to him because he had control over you, not because you wanted to and even if...if he had, I don't even want to say the words, but even then it would have changed nothing, absolutely nothing. I love you Lily Potter, I know now what my father meant when he talked about that special love, the one he found and cast away not realising that he had it until it was too late, that's what I have for you." He chuckled before continuing, "Dom thinks we have that same love that your Mum and Dad do Lily."

"So does my mother," she whispered lifting her head to look into his eyes, "so why can't he see that? Why does he insist it's just a crush that I'll get over when I'm back at school? He can't see that I'm a grown woman, a witch of age in our world who is wholey in love with someone just like he was at my age. He thinks that because they weren't together until they were older that I should still be single too, but they were always in love, from being fifteen, sixteen and they both knew it, and he still does. Why can't he see that we're the same and that we should be together?"

"Because he loves you Lily, because he's angry about what happened, angry at me for helping to put you in a dangerous situation-"

"But you didn't," Lily said vehemently pulling her head back.

"I did Lily," he replied stroking her face with his hand, "I wasn't sure, I didn't think it wasa good idea, I should have known better with my father being an auror but I let you convince me, I was curious, started to convince myself that it wouldn't hurt, I should have said no but I would have done anything for you Lily, anything," he held her tight as her head went back to his shoulder, "and I still would."

"But I don't blame you and neither should my father, it was my fault too."

"I know that, but like I said I should have stood my ground and I blame myself even if you don't and your father has a right to blame me too."

"No, it's down to both of us and he should see that."

"Lily, you are his little girl," Rulph crooned as he stroked her delicate shoulder, "he won't see any fault in you, he loves you so much and he doesn't want to admit that you are a beautiful, grown woman who can make her own decisions too him you will always be his baby daughter and any man will lead you astray. Lily he's doing it because he loves you and I respect him for it, I would feel the same way too, but we have to give him time Lily, we have to let his anger abate and try to show him that we are sorry, that I am sorry and that I would never let anything like that happen to you ever again."

"But I can't be without you Raulph," she began to sob.

"I know, Lily, neither can I but maybe we have tobe, I won't make you choose between your family and me, but Lily I will love you forever and no matter what I will not give up trying to show your father that I can take care of you, no matter how long it takes. But for now I think you should go."

"What?" she shrieked looking up at him again and he nodded his head behind her, lifting up her head and turning around Lily saw her father standing looking at them with a strange look on his face, it wasn't anger, it wasn't even disappointment, he looked tired and suddenly old, much older than he was.

"I won't make you choose Lily, you need to go with your family, keep telling them how much we love each other and I promise that we will be together, but I won't do that at the cost of your loved ones, I want to earn your father's respect and I won't stop trying to do that Lily but for now you have to be with them even if it is painful for us both, they are your family and they love you, but remember that so do I." Then he leaned down and kissed her trembling lips gently but passionately, knowing full well that at least four pairs of furious eyes would be watching them but he had to leave her with something, he had to show her that he meant every word and that one day they would be together, but when it was right and when everyone was happy about it.

As the kiss ended he looked over Lily's head and saw those venomous eyes he had been expecting, they were lined up beside a softer pair, a pair that some of the others' had and the same pair that Lily had, Ginny's eyes. Ginny was looking at them with understanding, with knowledge and heartbreak of her own and for her daughter, she knew the pain of not being with the one you loved, though at least for her the rest of her family had not hated Harry. She didn't know how else to convince her husband that Lily would never be happy without Raulph, just like she had never been happy for those few years between the war and Luna and Neville's wedding when she had stumbled through a life with a man she thought she could love but never felt truly passionate about. Ginny Potter knew she had to find a way to make her husband see that because if she couldn't then they would lose their daughter, perhaps not lose her physically but they would lose that spark that she had, the one that Ginny had had which had slowly faded away in her late teens when she had been with Colin, the spark which had been reignited the moment that Harry had confessed his love for her and the spark which had made her more and more determined to be with Harry forever no matter what. Lily still had that spark, it was lying dormant in her melancholy at the moment but Ginny knew it was there, however if Harry continued to deny her Raulph then it would fade too and eventually if too much time passed by no one would be able to reignite it.

Ginny stared at her daughter as she reluctantly left the arms of her true love and walked back to her family desperately trying to avoid their stares, Ginny was impressed with Raulph who had let her go even though she could see the same ache in his eyes. He watched her walk over and then nodded curtly at Harry who was shocked and did not return the gesture, but Raulph kept his head high and joined his father at a nearby table still watching the Potters as they left the marquee together to seek out Victoire and Teddy and say their goodbyes. Lily kept turning back to look at him wistfully, her eyes glistening with tears as her mother placed a consoling arm around her and hurried her from the room. At the large entrance way they both turned to look at Raulph once more, he smiled lovingly at Lily who tried to return it and Ginny gave him a curt nod which he returned with dignity and poise still watching his love and feeling as if his heart was once again breaking in two as he realised he did not know when he would get to see Lily Potter again.


	19. Chapter 19

Lily Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Chapter 19 – A True Resemblence

Holding a raggy, well loved and somewhat flattened stuffed owl to her chest Lily Luna Potter stared at her bedroom window, she was laid on her bed again and could see only clouds through the clear glass which she watched trying to see different images and shapes within their cotton fluffyness. It was the same position she spent every day and night in and all that she would do with her day, at night she would watch the stars, joining them in a dot to dot like fashion making pictures of everything at nothing at the same time. She went down to the table for breakfast, lunch and dinner obeying her father's instruction that she be there for meals but then she returned to her own space, to her lonely room where she could think about and pine for the man that she loved. Sometimes she would read and re-read the few crumpled letters that Dominique had brought to her in the last few weeks, they were hidden in a pouch which had once been her father's, a pouch which held contents that only the owner could retrieve. He had given it to her years ago to hide her special trinkets from James who liked to tease her constantly and she knew that Harry had completely forgotten about it so she also knew that he would never find the love letters Raulph had sent her, giving her hope that one day they would be together and she might feel happiness again. She was still holding the last one in her hand as she watched the clouds slowly drifting by.

_Dearest Lily,_

_I can't believe it has only been three weeks since I last saw you, it feels like many years have passed. I still miss you so terribly and I am desperately trying to find a way to show your father that he can trust me to love and care for you. Dominique tells me that you refuse to come out of your room except for at meal times and this saddens me so, I do not want to think of you wasting away thinking of me. While I know you are doing it because you love and miss me so much I cannot bear to think of you being so miserable, please start to do things at least with Dom if you can't be with the rest of your family, you are a feisty and active girl and I want you to be like that when we are together again. I know you are angry at your father and brothers but you really need to see why they are doing this to us, I understand it Lily even if you don't and though it does not make my heart ache any less I know they are doing it because they love you and you need to understand that too. Let them love and care for you the way they need to and let me show them that I can be a responsible young man. I too feel listless without you but I am trying to get a job and train to do something I have always wanted to do so I can show them how responsible I can be and that what we did was just a stupid mistake, and I will Lily, I promise you, one day your father and your brothers will see that but don't waste your life until then, I am the one who has to show them, I am the one who was wrong. Go on with your life as you normally would, but don't forget me, and don't stop loving me because one day soon I will be in it again with your father's blessing and we will be together forever. It may take some time my sweetheart and we will have to be patient because, as I said at the wedding, I will not make you choose between me and your family, even if you feel that you want to I will find a way to make sure that we are both in your life._

_Don't give up on me, my darling and don't give up on your own life because of me either._

_I love you._

_Raulph_

It had been a month since the wedding and Lily had not left the house once, her father had tried in vain to get her to do things but she had agreed only to attend meals with the rest of the family and had barely spoken to her father or brothers even then. Dominique had visited with Raulph's letters which was the only time that she had lifted her head from her pillow and spoken and even then she had barely uttered more than a thank you to her cousin before scribbling out another note for her to take back to her true love.

She knew that her mother had tried to talk to her father again and again but each time she had been argued down by the same point, he just could not forgive Raulph. She had read and re-read this last letter the most out of all of them but Lily could not see how Raulph could understand her father's anger, he had not been the one to force her into anything and he had not been the one who had abducted her, he had saved her. As far as Lily was concerned her father should have been grateful to Raulph for stopping anything else from happening. She knew he was upset and angry that they had used the imperious curse, especially as she had been brought up by parents who had seen it used for evil and by the man who had saved wizardkind from the most evil and powerful dark wizard that had ever been known. But she also knew that he had made mistakes in his own life and put her mother in danger unknowingly just like she and Raulph had and she also knew that her Grandfather and Uncles had never blamed him for any of it so why should he and her brothers blame Raulph for something that she had done willingly? No matter how hard she tried to see Raulph's understanding and reasoning she just could not get past the fact that at some point in his life her father had placed her mother in even more danger but he had still come out married to her with three children to care for.

The sky was darkening and Lily knew that her mother would be calling her for dinner soon, for the first time all week it would just be the three of them eating at the table, James joined them to eat once or twice a week and as Vernon and Albus both still lived at home they were usually there for breakfast and dinner but tonight they were out with friends and Lily would have to eat in stony silence with her mother and father which was something that she was not looking forward to. Ginny would try to make conversation and her father would try and talk to her too but Lily would not respond, she would not speak to her father at all until he relented and allowed her to see Raulph again, she knew in her heart that no matter what her father thought or said, this was not a crush, it was love, real love and she would wait until school was over and then leave to be with him whether her father liked it or not.

"Lily, sweetheart," came her mother's voice from downstairs and she sighed before sitting up reluctantly and throwing the battered old owl back on the bed, she stood up and looked at her reflection in the mirror, her face was becoming gaunt and her eyes were heavily shadowed due to the lack of sleep she had had for the last few weeks, her hair, though clean, was limp and had lost it's usual sheen as she could not be bothered to deal with it. Dragging a jumper over her head she brushed back her now static hair and walked from the room slowly and sullenly, each footstep seemed to thud through her heart as she climbed down the staircase to the dining room where they always ate their evening meal. Breakfast and Lunch would be at the long, well used, wooden kitchen bench but in the evening her parents insisted that they use the proper dining room and eat as a family at the dark, polished mahogany table. Lily pushed open the door and found her father already seated while her mother dished out the meal of steak and kidney pie, mashed potato and vegetables. Lily took her seat without saying a word and began to pick, as usual, at the food on her plate.

"Lily, you need to eat more," said her father in a concerned voice, he always tried to gloss over the fact that she ignored him hoping that she would stop being angry with him soon, but as usual she did not acknowledge his comment and continued to pick at the pastry on the pie, "why don't you go over to the Burrow tomorrow?" he went on as if she was part of the conversation, "Fred, Molly, Roxanne and Lucy will be there, you could help your grandmother to look after them, I'm sure she'd appreciate it." She continued to take no notice of him but Harry this time he had had enough of her sulking and moping around the house, he was rarely confrontational with his daughter and he hated to get angry with her but it had gone on for too long now, "LILY," he shouted dropping his fork on the plate with a loud clatter and making Ginny jump. His daughter lifted her eyes to his face but stared vacantly at him, "You have to snap out of this, it is not good for you, look at the state of you, it can't go on."

"Then let me see Raulph," she growled in response.

"We have had this conversation too many times Lily, you will not see him ever again, he helped to put you in a dangerous position and I will not have you fraternising with him anymore, when you are back at school you will forget about the boy and you will see that I was right, until then you need to snap out of this and start acting like the Lily Potter that we know."

"I won't," she said in a calm, controlled and very adult voice, "It is not a crush Dad, I love him and he will wait, when I finish school I will go to him, you won't be able to stop me then, you won't have any control over me then."

Harry looked at her with wide eyes this was the first time she had threatened to do anything, the first time she had ever spoken to him in such a way and for an instant Harry was shocked, stopped in his tracks as he realised that she might just be telling the truth.

"You won't be able to stop me then, I will do what I want, I'm only here now because Raulph told me to come back to you, he told me that he would not make me choose between him and my family and that you all loved me, but you can't love me, if you want me to live in misery like this," tears started to run down her face but she wiped them away furiously, angry that they had started to fall at all, "he said he loved me but that he could not take me from you all, that we had to try and show you, convince you that he would look after me, take care of me like you two, but how can we do that when I can't even see him, when I'm here under your watchful eye, or at the Burrow under someone else's eye, you're keeping me in misery and I'm staying because I have to but not because I want to. Raulph is not going to make me choose between him and my family but you are," she screamed pointing a finger at her father who was still sat in shocked silence at the table, she pulled the crumpled letter from her pocket and threw it on the table in front of him, "read it and see," she went on, "see how much he does love me and how he will make me stay here with you because he thinks you love me too. He's not going to make me choose but you will, you will be the one who makes me do it eventually and I will not chose you, if you love me so much then you would want me to be happy and safe." Harry tried to interrupt but she shot him down knowing exactly what his argument would be, now the things she had been thinking and feeling for the last week were coming out she was going to say it all before she had a chance to stop and think about it, "He would keep me safe," she continued "I keep trying to tell you Dad, it was all my idea, I'm not covering for him, it's true, Raulph didn't like it but he gave in to me because I persuaded him, because I wanted to do it, it was stupid yes I know that now and so does he but remember it is also because of him that I was saved that night, that David didn't rape me, he chased all over the school and all over the village looking for me because he was beside himself with worry, just like you were once," she added looking at her mother and then back at him, "don't you think we can learn from our mistake? Don't you realise that we would never be that stupid again? He's been beating himself up about it since it happened and though I know it wasn't his fault he still thinks it is and he's never going to forgive himself, but I can forgive him and so can you Dad. However if you don't, if you can't then you will lose me, he won't make me choose but I'll still do it and I want to be with him, just like you and Mum wanted to be together when you were seventeen."

"Lily," Harry said.

"No, Dad, I don't want to hear anymore and I can't take any more of these meals where we sit like this pretending that we're all happy when I'm miserable," she shouted the last word and stood up knocking the table at the same time and making the cutlery and crockery clatter. With one more hurt and angry look at her father she turned to leave the room and ran down the stairs towards the kitchen where she grabbed a handful of floo powder and jumped into the fireplace shouting, "The Burrow," as it was the only other place she could think of at that moment, she would have gone straight to Raulph but her father had had their home blocked from the floo network to Grimmauld place so that she could not get out to see him. Tears streamed down her face as she whirled past numerous fireplaces before coming to a stop in a familiar and cosy room, she stepped out of the inglenook startling her grandmother who was cleaning up after a meal and fell into her arms sobbing and convulsing as she let herself be guided to a cosy chair near the fireside.

"What on earth is the matter?" she asked taking the seat beside her and stroking the young girl's hand, "Lily, what happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it," she said wiping her eyes and standing up, "I'm going to go down to the river for some air," she added, "please will you let Mum know that I'm here?" she threw over her shoulder as she walked away out of the kitchen door and down to the river at the bottom of the garden.

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She sat in the clearing where almost a year ago she had stumbled upon Raulph playing in the water with Louis and tormenting Dominique for over two hours, she threw stones into the water and watched them sink to the bottom all the while thinking about what she had said to her father, and what he would say to her when he eventually caught up with her. She knew he would find her, he would either send one of her brothers or come for her himself but he would be turn up eventually, she was surprised that he hadn't been already but perhaps he was giving her some space to calm down and see reason, but she wasn't going to calm down and she wasn't going to change her mind or forget what she had said, she meant every word and she was determined to stick to her decision no matter what happened in the next year while she was still reliant upon her family. As soon as school was over she would go home to Raulph and not them, no matter how hard it was if her father was going to make her choose then she would choose true love.

A twig breaking behind her alerted her to the fact that someone had stumbled across her and as she turned she could make out two figures walking towards her through the trees, she sighed knowing he had brought one of her brothers for support and turned back to the river throwing the last stone that she held in her hand and waiting for the footsteps to reach her, she would not make this easy at all and she could already feel the anger beginning to course through her body again. The footsteps halted a couple of feet from her and a familiar voice whispered softly, "Lily?"

She didn't turn round at his voice, Lily had always believed that she would do anything her father asked, would obey his every command and would always be polite and respectful to him but now her heart was torn in two and even though he had said her name calmly and sympathetically for the first time since he had taken her from Durmstrang she still could not bare to look at him while he tried to convince her one more time that she would get over her crush on Raulph.

"Lily," he said again in the same tone as before but she still refused to turn and seconds later she felt him crouch down behind her and touch her shoulder.

"No Dad," she said, "I won't change my mind," and she shrugged his hand away.

But his cough came from further away and she turned around quickly as the hand went back to her shoulder and another familiar voice whispered, "Lily."

"Raulph," she whispered breathlessly as she turned to look into his deep piercing blue eyes and then she turned to look at her father who was standing to her left watching them with an apologetic look on his face. It seemed he was about to burst into tears but he was holding them back and looking admiringly at his only daughter, she stood up and looked again from Raulph to her father, before walked slowly over to Harry who's eyes still glistened, "Daddy," she said in a whisper when she stood in front of him and he took her hands in his.

"Lily, I want you to be happy," he began, "and this," he gestured to Raulph and smiled, "makes you happy, I can see that radiant spark in you already and he's only been here for a second. Forgive me darling, I am an old fool who forgot what it is like to be young and in love, and foolish," he added looking slightly more sternly at them both, "but I was wrong to deny you what you want Lily, you are a grown woman who can make her own choices and mistakes and I realise that, I shouldn't have blamed Raulph for it all, there is a lot of your mother in you and I didn't see that at first even though she tried to tell me. I don't want to lose you Lily and if Raulph is prepared to give you up so that we don't lose you then I can see that all he wants is for you to be safe and happy. I once tried to do the same thing for your mother, tried to make her stay with her family instead of me because I thought it was for the best and I was wrong, as usual," he half smiled and looked down before looking over at Raulph and whispering to them both, "but don't tell her that."

They all chuckled a little but then his face turned serious again and he looked into Lily's eyes, "You have to make your own mistakes Lily and I have to let you grow up, it's hard to do but I'm sure your Grandfather could give me a few tips, all I've ever wanted to do is keep my family safe but I should know by now that keeping them happy is more important so," he looked over at Raulph again, "this noble young man makes you happy Lily and that is enough for me, if my own experiences are anything to go by I know he will barely let you out of his sight again," and he looked over at Raulph who nodded as he thought about the familiar silver instrument in his pocket with his wand. "But just remember, both of you, that you will always be my baby girl Lily, I'm sorry but I will never forget the day Luna placed you in my arms and I knew that you were the only girl apart from your mother who would be able to make me bend to your will, and the only girl I would ever love as much!" he chuckled. "I knew then that I would do anything for you and if you have met a man who is willing to do anything for you too then you have my blessing and my respect," he added looking at Raulph.

"Now, I think you may have some catching up to do so I will be up at the Burrow with your Mother when you are ready to join us," he added and then he let her hands go and turned to walk back up to the house trying to hold back the tears that had been threatening him for the last five minutes.

He had taken only a step when Lily reached out and touched his shoulder, "Daddy," she said as he turned back to her and she threw her arms around him and whispered, "I love you," the words sent the tears tumbling down his cheeks without restrain and he hugged his precious daughter tightly.

"I love you too Darling," he replied and then they looked at each other with a smile before Harry nodded at Raulph again and walked back up to the Burrow wiping away the tears that still ran down his face and knowing that he had done the right thing and made his daughter happy.

Lily turned around and looked back at Raulph who was still kneeling on the spot where she had been moments before looking back at her and he watched as she slowly walked back over to him taking each step slightly hesitantly as if she didn't quite believe that he was really there in front of her. But as if to affirm her vision he stood up and ran swiftly towards her pulling her into his arms and kissing her with a passion that showed how much he had missed her over the last few weeks. Lily returned the kiss with equal vigour as they fell to the floor beneath a tree holding each other fiercely as if determined to never let the other one go again.

"Lily," he whispered in her ear and she felt as if she might melt at the sound of his voice, ever so carefully he laid her back down on the leafy ground by the river side and stared at her through eyes filled with love and devotion. She returned the stare as her hands wound around his neck and pulled him down to lay beside her propped up on his elbow in order to continue his penetrating gaze into her eyes. "I can't believe how much I missed you," he said stroking her face with his thumb, "I've done nothing for the last seven weeks, I haven't been able to function at all without the knowledge that you were in my life."

"I know," she replied.

"And when your father turned up at my house tonight I thought something terrible had happened to you, my heart plummeted again like it had the day of the triwizard task, I was petrified."

She smiled up at him admiring the fact that he worried about her so much and then she asked, "What did he say?"

"He asked me if I'd really told you at the wedding that I would not make you choose between me and your family," he had my last letter in his hand and he read out that part to me, "I told him it was the truth. Then he told me what you were prepared to do for me and I was shocked, I can't believe you told him that you would come to me when you could, that you would leave your family behind if that was what it took. He was almost in tears so I told him that I would have made you come home, that I could never have made you happy if that was the choice you had had to make to be with me, I told him that nothing was more important to me than your happiness but that I knew if it came to that you would never be truly happy without them in your life too," Lily felt a tear in her eye thinking that he would do that for her and for them, "and then..." he went on, "then he said...thank you."

"What?"

"He said 'thank you' and then 'sorry'."

"He apologised?"

"Yes, then he said what he's just said to you back then about how he just wants you to be happy and that we have to learn from our own mistakes and then he asked me to go with him. To come here and to see you, he said that we could be together, that if I was prepared to give you up so that you would not give them up then I was a better person than he had first thought, he said I had already earned his respect and that I had his blessing to be with you. He just hoped that I would make you as happy as he wanted you to be and I told him I would never stop trying to do that! After that we came here and your Grandmother said you were by the river so..." he let his sentence drift off as he realised she could finish it for herself and instead of talking he placed his lips upon hers once more and they enjoyed a soft and tender kiss still laying in the leaves beside the gently flowing river. "But I did make him one promise," Raulph said as they pulled away from each other.

"Hmmm," she murmured wishing he would continue the kissing that she had missed so much and had longed for since the day that David had taken her.

"I promised that I would imperious you again."

"What?" she asked sitting up on her elbows in shock, "he wanted you to use it again?"

"Yes," he said smiling, "but only to teach you how to throw it again and for nothing more Lily, and I agree with him, we were foolish and got lost in what we were doing and I can't believe how dangerous it was. So I'm afraid he asked me to come and stay so that I can teach you under his supervision," he smiled and her eyes flew wide again.

"He asked you to stay with us?" she asked.

"Well yes," he said quite coyly, "you see I sort of needed somewhere to live for a while, here in England," he went on.

"Why?" she asked curiously.

"Well when I said that I did nothing for the last few weeks I wasn't quite telling the truth, I didn't do very much because I was pining for you, but I knew that somehow we would be together one day and like I said in my letter I wanted to show your family that I could be responsible and make up for my stupid mistake so I...I applied to the British Ministry to train as an auror and they...they accepted me, I start in three weeks." He added and Lily squealed with delight.

"So you'll be living here in England?" she asked quietly.

"Well, that's the general idea," he went on, "your father knew that I had been accepted, apparently James had told him and as we were coming back here to find you he asked me where I was going to be staying. I hadn't thought that far yet, I'd been hoping that Aunt Fleur might take me in but your father said Grimmauld Place would be more convenient for the Ministry as Shell Cottage isn't connected to the floo network and as you'll be going back to school in a few weeks he didn't see anything wrong with me staying with him and your Mother if I was happy to do that."

"He invited you to live with us?"

"Well, with him and your Mum, like I said you'll be back at school in three weeks and he has expressed his wish that we have separate rooms until then," he coughed, "but essentially I will be living at your home while you are away," he went on, "and I was thinking that as I get weekends free during the first year of training I could come up to Hogwarts and stay in Hogsmeade so that we could still see each other. That's what Teddy used to do when he had finished school and Victoire was still there, he'd stay at the Three Broomsticks and go down to the school on Saturdays, sometimes she would go and stay with him in the village because once you are of age you don't have to stay at the school during weekends do you?" he asked and she nodded in reply. "So...what do you think?" he asked looking down at her, he wasn't sure how she would feel about it all but the twinkle in her eye and the smile on her lips told him that she could think of no more perfect situation for them both.

Pulling him down so that their lips could meet once more she whispered, "I'll speak to Mum about the room," and then she tried to kiss him but he pulled away slightly.

"No," he said quite forcefully and she looked at him in shock, "No, Lily I want to earn your father's trust again and I am going to do that by sticking to his instructions, if he wants us to have separate rooms then that is what we will do. I am sorry Lily but I don't want to do anything to upset your father now, he may know that we are sleeping together but we do not have to throw it in his face when he has been gracious enough to allow me to stay with you."

"Oh," she said slightly downhearted, "okay," she added and then laid her head down on the ground again gazing up at the stars instead of at the man she had been desperate to see for weeks. However his face suddenly blocked her view of the stars as he leaned over her once more his hair fell down the sides of his face and he smiled lovingly before lowering his head to hers kissing her passionately and unreservedly. His hands never wandered from her neck or face as hers slid gently inside the shirt he was wearing so she could feel his strong, hairy chest beneath her finger tips, he just stroked her face with his thumb and placed his other hand on her arm as they kissed.

They laid by the river for a long time just kissing and cuddling each other but not once did Raulph attempt to touch her in any other way, he would brush stray hairs from her face and touch her lips, her eyes, her cheeks with the back of his finger and though one arm wound it's way beneath her so he could hold her close it stayed firmly on her waist and did not explore any other part of her body. He would look down at her and smile, kiss her longingly showing how much he had missed her presence for the last few weeks but he seemed to not want to try and do anything other than caress her lips with his own.

Lily suddenly felt fearful after a that his feelings for her had changed after her situation with David, and his reluctance to sleep in the same bed as her made her worry a little too, even though both he and Dominique had tried to persuade her that he didn't feel differently about her now she was afraid that something had changed and that he was keeping some distance from her in the hope that it would eventually fade away or he would come to realise that maybe they had changed for good. They had not actually been together and been able to be intimate since the night it had happened and now they were alone, even after all his words of denial, it was becoming evident that there was something there, no matter what he had seen her with another man albeit involuntarily he had still seen her kissing someone else. He had missed her she knew, she could tell by his kisses, and his words told her that he still loved her more than anything but after seeing her with David and then not being with her for so long had what happened affected him and their relationship which had stayed hidden because of their estrangement from each other? A strange panic began to rise within her at these thoughts and it festered away at her mind the longer Raulph's fingers stayed away from more intimate areas of her body.

Unable to bear the thought any longer while he was kissing her like a young school girl she sat up swiftly and climbed to her feet, "Lily," Raulph said suddenly as she wrenched her body away from his, "what's the matter?"

"Nothing," she coughed, "I just needed to...to," he jumped to his feet beside her and took her hands in his.

"To what?" he asked looking at her concernedly.

"Something has changed hasn't it," she whispered in a voice close to tears, "between us, something is different now that I've been...been with...with someone else," she sobbed and without waiting for a response from him she pulled her hands away and ran along the side of the quietly babbling river ignoring his shouts of her name that followed behind her. She stopped at a small ford where a tree trunk had fallen over the river and she tried to cross it swiftly still hearing Raulph calling her name incessantly. However as she tried to distance herself from the confused boy her foot slipped on damp moss and she toppled over into the shallow river landing hard on her bottom, a sharp scream escaped her lips as she fell and within seconds she felt a pair of strong, muscular arms lifting her almost effortlessly out of the water. From the waist down she was drenched and the shock of the cold water had made her momentarily forget what she had been doing and why she had been trying to get away from Raulph.

"Lily," he said dropping her on her feet but still holding her tight so she could not run again, "why are you running away from me? And what do you mean something has changed?"

"You don't want to touch me," she whispered barely audibly as she looked down at her hands instead of at him.

"What?" he cried quietly.

"I know you say it wasn't really me and that it wasn't my fault but you feel differently about me, you haven't touched me anywhere but on my face and neck and we've been apart for so long, usually you touch me and...and...but now, you may not realise it but you saw me with...with him and we were..." she was struggling to say most of the words but she knew that Raulph understood, "you don't want to...make love to me anymore," she finished trying to wrench her hands from his once more but he had a tight grip on her this time.

"What? No, Lily I told you nothing has changed, I don't feel any different at all it's just that I...I wasn't sure if you would want me to touch you like that after...what he did was a terrible thing and I thought maybe you needed some time to...I don't know, I thought maybe you would want to wait. I didn't mean to make you think anything had changed between us because of him, if anything I only love you more I just don't want to push you until you are ready."

She smiled up at him then and lifted a hand to his cheek suddenly feeling a little silly and angry with herself, why had she not been able to see that? Why had she not realised what a noble and gentlemanly person Raulph was? All she could think about was how he would be feeling while all he thought about was her, she suddenly felt quite ridiculous, especially as she was standing half soaked through and beginning to shiver from the cool evening breeze that now blew through the woodland and around her wet trousers, "Raulph, he did nothing to me because of you, we kissed and that was about all he never touched me...there," she coughed a little, "his hand may have," she shuddered at the words.

"I know," he whispered sparing her the trauma if having to relive it again.

"You stopped anything else from happening," she continued, "and because of that I do not need time to work past it, it is all a distant and horrible memory now but it's not something that I want hanging over us, especially now we can be together. All I've wanted since the moment you carried me down to that sleigh is to be alone and intimate with you, the only person I have ever been with and the only person I ever want to be with. So please don't think about it anymore, don't think about what he did to me or what I might feel about it just-"

She was cut off before she could finish by a crushing and longing kiss, she felt as if he was trying to devour her and she wanted nothing more than for him to take her then and there in the middle of the empty woodland, his hands slid deftly but sensitively up the back of her jumper and t-shirt and he pulled her as close as she could be touching her bare skin and sending jolts of electricity through her body. Her hands mirrored his as they wound around his back beneath the loose quidditch shirt that he wore and their kiss intensified even more until they were panting heavily and then he lifted her up in his arms again and carried her back to the soft leafy ground they had just left where he laid her back down looking at her with awe and admiration. Without speaking at all Raulph slowly began to peel her clothes from her body, lifting the jumper and t-shirt over her head to reveal her naked torso and then without taking his eyes from her soft and creamy skin he peeled away the wet trousers and her underwear leaving her shivering, this time with desire, on the leaves, he muttered a spell under his breath while waving his wand at the leaves and they transfigured into a soft downy blanket which felt fluffy against her skin and Lily sighed as she sunk onto it watching Raulph stand up and begin to undress.

Love shone from his eyes as he removed his own clothes before laying down naked beside her and returning to kiss her lips, her cheeks her eyes and then slowly almost teasingly he began to explore the rest of her body with his tongue, it felt like he had not been this close to her for a hundred years not just a few weeks and the blood in his body was pumping around ready to show her how much he wanted her. He continued to kiss her whole body concentrating heavily on the cold nipples which reacted to his touch and then he moved down between her thighs and gave her waves of pleasure, listening to the soft noises she made and all the time knowing that he was falling deeper and deeper in love with this magical girl. Eventually he moved his whole body over hers and they looked into each others' eyes as he gently pushed himself into her, she gasped and moaned also feeling as if it had been a hundred years or more since they had done this and all the while refusing to take her eyes away from his piercing blues. When they were through they were both shaking and Raulph continued to kiss and touch her body while holding himself over her, telling her how beautiful she was until he eventually rolled onto his side and propped himself on one elbow gazing down at her and smiling. Lily returned the smile as he threw his cloak over her naked body to shield her from the cold, he pulled her into his arms and they lay together her head in the crook of his shoulder and their hands resting on each others' waists. They laid without speaking without exploring each other just enjoying being together once more and knowing that nothing would ever tear them apart again.

To both their disappointment they soon began to realise that the whole family would be waiting for them back in the kitchen at the Burrow and they reluctantly re-dressed, Raulph dried her clothes with his wand and threw his cloak around her to keep her warm as a chill was beginning to settle on the woodland floor. They realised that it must be getting close to midnight and so walking hand in hand they went back up to the mis-shapen house that Lily loved so much, as they left the darkness of the wood they noticed a shining light beaming from the kitchen window and they both knew that there would be a few people on the other side of it waiting for them.

Leading the way Lily opened the door and stood back in shock when she saw not only her Grandparents with her mother and father but also James, Albus and Vernon who were all enjoying bucket sized cups of Molly's warm cocoa. At the sound of the door opening the amiable conversation halted and all eyes turned to look at the pair of teenagers standing in the doorway, Ginny beamed at her daughter before offering Raulph a curt nod which he returned graciously. Harry rose from his seat and walked over to the two youngsters without saying anything but showing through his eyes how much he loved his daughter and how grateful he was to Raulph for bringing her spark back. But Raulph barely noticed Harry as he was looking at the three pairs of stern eyes still glaring at him from the kitchen table, Vernon, James and Albus did not seem to be as happy to see him as Ginny, Harry, Molly and Arthur seemed to be, he could still see a wary look in their eyes and it unnerved him a little. He had always said he would go through anything for Lily, but being faced by her three annoyed looking older brothers he was beginning to think it may not be that easy to do.

Looking from Raulph to his sons and back again a wide grin began to spread across Harry's face as he had a sudden reminder of being stood in this same kitchen in much the same position a fair few years ago, chuckling softly he leaned over to Raulph and whispered, "They're nothing! I told you before I had five Weasley brothers to contend with and believe me I made a lot more mistakes where their sister was concerned!"

Hearing the comment his wife looked at her sons and then over at Harry, Lily and Raulph, and rising from her own seat she walked over to them and added, "And if my daughter is anything like me, she'll have them all wrapped around her little finger!" Ginny and Harry laughed and Raulph tried to chuckle along too but he was unconvincing and betrayed the fact that he was still a little worried about Lily's siblings but as the boys stood up to greet their sister's boyfriend, shaking his hand amiably if still a little warily, Harry and Ginny walked back to their seats by the fire and smiled at their wonderful family. The boys would accept Raulph because Harry had and because Lily would make them; and just seeing the change in her now Harry knew he had done the right thing, as usual he should have listened to his wife all along and realised that his little girl was growing up. He should have seen that with any boy or man she would make mistakes just like he had done in his own youth and all he could hope for was that she would learn from them and try to keep herself out of too much danger. He knew Raulph would protect her because secretly he could see a lot of himself in the young Krum boy and he also suddenly saw the resemblance that he and Lily had as a couple to the relationship he had with Ginny. If they truly were as strong and as much in love as they were then he knew they would be there for each other no matter what and that they would always be happy, just as he had always been with the red headed Weasley sat beside him.

Sitting back in his chair and watching the still uncomfortable looking Raulph, amidst his four children, being held and reassured by Lily he leaned over to his wife and took her hand in his whispering, "Did I look that petrified with your brothers?"

"No Darling," she began laughing at his question before leaning across to him and whispering lovingly, "you looked much worse!"

4


	20. Epilogue

Lily Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Epilogue – Summer's End

Lily Luna Potter and her three best friends, Lizzie, Stephanie and Melissa, skipped down the drive of Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry heading in the direction of Hogsmeade. The sky was still light but the sun was starting to drop lower in the sky casting a sot orange glow over the rooftops of the village, a few owls could be seen silhouetted against it flying back to the post office in Hogsmeade and Lily began to feel excited at the prospect of a weekend away from the school and away from her parents. It was the end of the first week back at school, a week which had almost seemed an eternity to Lily who had not seen Raulph since the previous Sunday morning when he had escorted her with her parents to platform nine and thre quarters where she boarded the train taking her back to her own school for her final year. He has waved her off standing beside Harry and Ginny Potter after giving her a long, passionate kiss and promising to be in the three broomsticks at seven o clock on the following Friday where she and her friends could meet him for a bottle of butterbeer.

As it was only a week and though she knew she would miss him terribly she had still been excited the previous Sunday morning about seeing her friends on the scarlet train. The newly appointed head girl, Lizzie, who she had not seen since her parents had whisked her away from Durmstrang the night she had been abducted by David, Melissa who she had not seen since the day after the Yule ball eight months ago and Stephanie whom she had not seen for almost a year since the day she had boarded the same train to go to Durmstrang for the triwizard tournament. It felt like more than a year since that had happened and she could barely believe how much her life had changed in that one short year, she had lived in another country, had fallen in love with a wonderful man, had lost her virginity and almost lost her love and virtue because of a stupid mistake.

True to his word Harry had insisted that Raulph curse Lily to make her less susseptable to the imperious curse and out of both respect for her father and love for Lily he had practised with her daily in the study at Grimmauld place under Harry's supervision for the first week and then alone. He had not for one second tried to do anything other than make her throw the curse for the first week and Harry had laughed a little when his daughter had danced like a chicken, sung out of tune and poured a bucket of water over her head but then he had become serious and pointed out that these were not the kind of situations that Lily was used to being under the curse for. He had then expressed his wish for Raulph to make her do some of the things that they had used the curse for before and he then left them to practise alone for a while. Initially Lily had responded to Raulph's imperious commands desperate to do these things with him again as they were sleeping separately and unable to be intimate at all but Raulph had removed the curse and insisted that they were only doing it to help her throw the spell.

Eventually and with much embarrassment he had had to approach her father to say that he thought she was not trying hard enough under the circumstances and he had then taken her into the office alone to talk with her. Lily had not spoken to Raulph for a few hours after she had left the room rather red-faced and embarrassed but Harry and Raulph had shared an afternoon talking about auror training while she calmed down in her bedroom and the younger boy had realised that Harry's trust in him after that confession had indeed grown stronger. Harry had found it remarkable and a sign of how much he wanted to make amends that he had broached Harry about Lily's behaviour and not given in to his persuasive daughter. Out of sheer boredom Lily had appeared shortly before dinner and promised to take the imperious lesson more seriously and after that she had mastered the art again within a few days managing to throw it impeccably when Raulph was trying to make her succumb to his attempt at pleasuring her in a way that he knew she enjoyed.

On the very same day they managed the rare opportunity of having the whole house to themselves and as a reward for throwing the curse during something he knew that she liked Raulph gave in and they spent an afternoon in her bedroom making love and continuing from where she had thrown him during the curse earlier. It had been their only opportunity during the last three weeks of the summer holiday in which they had been so alone and able to make love as Raulph had been sleeping in her brother James' room while he was staying at Grimmauld place. One night, about a week into his visit, after laying for seven days in a bed beneath Raulph but separated by the ceiling, Lily laid awake and waited until she knew her parents and brothers were asleep before creeping out of her own room and up the stairs. She stopped outside Raulph's door and opened it slowly and carefully, he did not hear her as he was sleeping but when he felt her weight on the bed his eyes had opened and he had turned to face her.

"Lily?" he had whispered, "What are you doing?"

"I want to be with you Raulph, I can't stand being in the room below you knowing that you are up here in bed, naked!" she had added lifting up the covers and staring down at his strong and bare body.

"No," he had said forcefully yanking the blanket back over his body and truning to look at the pouting face she then began to pull. "I'm sorry Lily, I want it too but I will not go against your father's wishes, remember when you are back at school I will still be living here and I don't want to get your Dad's back up. Now, I love you," he had kissed her, "and I want you too," he had kissed her again, "but you have to go before anyone sees you. We can be together in Hogsmeade, but until then you will have to be patient Sweetheart," he had chuckled at her then and she had left the room huffily. The next morning she had been stiff with him and even Harry had commented over breakfast that they had been fine before bed the previous evening and wondered why she seemed mad that day.

So now, after only being able to make love once in the whole time that Raulph was in the same house Lily was very much looking forward to a weekend in the three broomsticks as she was not planning to return to school until Sunday evening. Harry and Ginny knew she would be staying with Raulph for the weekend but she was almost eighteen now and as long as it was not under their roof Harry had made his peace with his baby girl sharing a bed with a man.

"Lizzie, cheer up!" Melissa called as they walked swiftly along the road to the village, "we have a whole weekend in Hogsmeade and away from school!" she added punching the air in celebration. Terry had finished school the year before and now worked for his uncle in the post office in Hogsmeade having decided to take a year out before going into training at the Ministry to become a muggle relations officer. The post office had a small flat above it which had been vacant for many years and his uncle had allowed him to live in it while he was working there. Melissa was very much looking forward to spending her weekends away from school and cooped up in the cosy flat with her boyfriend during her last year at school and was almost running down the road in eagerness to start them. "Stop looking so miserable," Melissa continued play punching her mournful looking friend on the arm.

"Well I-"

"Miss Peter," the other three chorused together smiling at their friend who realised that she had talked about nothing else for the last week. As soon as Lizzie had joined them in the carriage on the Hogwarts Express, after doing a cursory sweep of the compartments as head girl, she had begun to regale them with tales of her summer days spent in Peter's palatial home. He was muggle born like she was but had been orphaned five years ago when his parents had been killed in a car accident and he had then become the sole heir to a vast estate in Bavaria which he had spent the last couple of years trying to remove completely from the muggle world with the help of his own ministry. He had finally managed it that summer making the house and grounds unplottable and erasing the estate from muggle history completely, he was the last member of the family and as the only wizard within it he wanted to live in his natural world rather than the muggle one he was born into and this had seemed the most sensible way to do it. He had invited Lizzie to stay at the mansion with him for most of the summer and she had happily accepted.

Lizzie's parents were muggle lawyers and spent much of their time working, therefore they were not as strict with Lizzie about where she stayed as they trusted her to be a responsible adult and so after passing her apparition test on her seventeenth birthday at the end of July she had spent most of the summer weeks with Peter and was now used to being around him all the time. Coming back to school had felt like hell to her especially as she did not know when they would get to see each other again, Peter was about to become very busy on a training course to become a dragon tamer and would be travelling around the world to observe them in their natural habitats. He loved the magnificent creatures and eventually hoped to work with them out in the wilderness of the northern Europe mountains where many of them lived.

"We know you miss him Liz," Stephanie said taking her friend's arm and pulling her close, "but at least we get to spend a weekend out of school, even if we are sharing a room with each other and not with a bloke!" she laughed. The two of them had also rented a twin room for the weekend at the three broomsticks so they could at least have some fun out of the castle even if it did mean playing gooseberry to their other two best friends.

"I suppose," Lizzie muttered in response trying to put a smile on her face to placate her friends, she had never imagined that being away from Peter would be so hard and was already planning to go into a career with dragons so she could be near him when school was over. She was quite intrigued by the creatures herself and though she knew most people would say she was only doing it to be with Peter Lizzie knew that the career could be both fascinating and exciting and she was very much looking forward to persuing it.

As the four friends approached the edge of the village Lily and Melissa began to get more excited and at the sight of the glowing lights in the window of the three broomsticks their pace became much quicker so that they were at the door within seconds of first seeing it. Lily bade good night to her friend, who then set off in the direction of the post office to meet Terry, before she wrenched open the door and glanced around looking for and immediately spotting the floppy sandy coloured hair which she loved so much, she smiled brightly at Raulph who beamed back at her and then she stopped in her tracks as she noticed that he was not alone. Lily grinned sheepishly when she saw that he had brought a friend with him and practically bounced up and down as she turned around to watch her sullen looking friend approach the pub with less spring to her step.

"What are you smiling at?" Lizzie asked when she got to the doorway and saw the sly smirk on her companion's face.

"Nothing," she replied laughing and holding the door open for her friends to pass through, she watched Lizzie as she entered the room and looked around for Raulph wondering curiously why Lily was still stood at the door and had not gone flying into his arms upon entry and then she did a double take when she saw who was sat next to him nursing a bottle of butterbeer.

"Peter," Lizzie squealed running swiftly across the bar room and launching herself at the smiling boy sitting on Raulph's left, "what are you doing here?" she went on throwing her arms around him and burying her face in his neck.

"Surprise!" he said to her through her hair which had completely covered his face when her arms had swung around his neck, Lily watched on still standing in the pub doorway and chuckled as she watched Raulph stand up slowly and make his way over to her. Meanwhile Stephanie rolled her eyes and dropped her small overnight bag on the floor muttering under her breath about being the only gooseberry again.

"Hello," Raulph whispered as he gently tugged her forward and enveloped her in his arms.

"Hey," she replied softly enjoying the feel of his arms around her back, it had been less than a week since she had seen him but she had still missed him terribly and knew then and there that spending a whole year like this would be a nightmare after being at school together for the previous year.

"How was school?" he asked guiding her over to the table where Lizzie was now practically eating Peter's face and they sat down together to talk over the week they had both had while Stephanie watched them enviously from another seat at the table not now relishing a weekend of being the only single girl among her friends.

"Great," Steph moaned as she ordered a bottle of butterbeer from Madame Rosmerta who had sidled over to their table quickly anticipating another sale, "I get to watch you lot being in lovey couples all weekend, fantastic!" she groaned with a slight smile on her face knowing that it would still be fun to be out of the castle even if she was now sharing a room with no one.

"Raulph, Peter, this is Stephanie," Lily said pulling her friend by the arm and chuckling at her, she did feel a little bit guilty about the situation having been just as surprised to see Peter as Lizzie had been and she knew it was a bit unfair on her other friend.

"Stephanie, pleased to meet you finally," Raulph said extending a hand for her to shake. "I am sorry that I brought Peter along but I was just so sick of reading his depressingly long winded letters about how much he missed Lizzie so I made him come along this weekend to surprise her, however I am afraid that I didn't stop there," he continued looking sheepishly at his girlfriend's best friend, "I also brought...ah," his hand shot up in the air and he beckoned to someone who had just entered the room behind them, Lily and Steph both spun their heads around and Stephanie's jaw nearly hit the table when she set eyes on the greek god now making his way towards their table.

Swaggering confidently, but without any arrogance, in the direction of their table was a tall, tanned, curly black haired young man with a square jawline and deep black eyes, his features were chiselled but he was very handsome and Stephanie felt her face growing hot as she realised she was trying to imagine what was underneath the casual black and blue polo shirt that he wore with a pair of muggle jeans. Lily had to admit to herself that he was utterly sexy in a completely different way to Raulph and for a second she felt herself drooling over the newcomer as he smiled at them all and took a seat beside Stephanie. "Leonidas, this is my beautiful girl Lily," Raulph said making her blush a little, "and her friends, Stephanie," he gestured towards her and she held her hand out to him coyly, he took the proffered hand in his own, raised it to his lips and kissed it softly looking up at her simultaneously through his deep dark eyes. Stephanie felt as if she had melted and she had to put her other hand on the table just to steady herself as Raulph turned to look at the other two people seated at the table and went on, "And the one surgically attached to Peter is Lizzie!" he joked and the latter pulled her head away from her boyfriend's just long enough to give Raulph a rude gesture with her finger and Leonidas a curt nod with her head before continuing where she had left off with Peter.

"Stephanie, what a beautiful name," Leonidas said in a deep voice with a thick foreign accent as he turned his attention back to the girl who was suddenly finding it very difficult to form words. "I am friend of Raulph from the ministry, we start on auror training last week," he went on glancing over at his new friend.

"I met Leonidas on the first morning during orientation, we were having a tour of the auror department and we got talking about your Dad," Raulph explained looking athis girlfriend. "Abery still talks about him as the best auror the department ever had and Leo here said how he wished he could meet this wonderful auror who had inspired him to go into the career."

"Really?" Lily asked and Leonidas nodded his head.

"I told him that I knew him and we got talking about what he was like and so on, hit it off straight away! I asked him last night what he was doing for the weekend and he said staying in the Leaky Cauldron, so I thought I'd suggest he join us as I knew bythen that Stephanie here would be playing the single girl, thought they may be able to keep each other company!" he chuckled waggling his eyebrow at the blushing girl.

"He ask me to visit for the weekend his girlfriend and friends," Leonidas jumped. "He say I could meet more English people if I come here and I see now what he meant!" Steph began to flush furiously again but within a few more minutes she and Leonidas were deep in comfortable conversation and Stephanie was flashing grateful thank you glances at both Lily and Raulph.

"Do you think we can sneak off?" Raulph whispered softly in Lily's ear a few moments later and she looked at him curiously, "I want you Lily," he went on, "now!" and he raised his eyebrows at her gesturingly. Lily glanced around the table at her friends, Lizzie was still gazing into Peter's eyes utterly amazed that he had turned up to surprise her and Steph was staring intently at the clean shaven face of her new acquaintance as he told her stories of his first week at the British ministry training to be an auror. Without saying a word Lily took hold of Raulph's hand and tugged him gently out of his seat, running swiftly they headed for the door which led to the rooms above the pub and within minutes they were stood outside the door of the room that Raulph had rented for the weekend. Lily suddenly felt rather naughty and excited about being off the school grounds in a little bed and breakfast with her love, especially as she was still wearing her school uniform, and she began to kiss Raulph passionately and hungrily as he scrabbled to open the door with the heavy key. When the door opened they fell through it into the dark room and Raulph immediately lifted her up in his arms and carried her to the bed where he lay her down and stood back to gaze longingly at her. "God you are so beautiful," he whispered before laying down on the bed beside her and initiating yet another long, sensual kiss.

"Close your eyes," she whispered cheekily to him after a couple of minutes and he looked at her in surprise before obeying her command and laying his head back on the bed. He felt her get up and could hear her moving about, once or twice he tried to open his eyes to see what she was doing but she was watching him both times so he decided to just do what she had asked and wait patiently. After another few moments she coughed and said in a timid voice, "You can open them now," he did it slowly and looked down the bed and over at her gasping loudly as he watched a coy smile spread across her face.

"Lily...wow...you...you...wow," he stuttered as he watched her approach the bed, he was frozen to the spot with shock and immediate desire, "how did...? Where did...?" he went on utterly flabbergasted.

"Rose," she replied taking another step closer to him, she was within his reach now and he held out a hand to touch her but she pulled away teasingly and smiled. "You like it then?"

"Like it?" he replied, "like it? You look amazing! Come here!" he went on jumping up swiftly with a huge grin on his face and grabbing hold of her before she could get away again, he dragged her down on top of him as she squealed and then they began to kiss hungrily once again. After a few minutes Raulph rolled her over, sat up and looked down at the amazing girl who was laid back on the bed wearing black fishnet stockings with lace tops, pointed patent stiletto shoes and a matching black lace set of bra and knickers. There was only one layer of laceto the set which left little to the imagination and the bra was made to accentuate her pert brests which were pushed together to create a subtle cleavage line. Barely taking her eyes from her he undressed quickly and climbed back onto the bed kneeling between her legs and gazing down at the flushed and excited girl who he was craving intensely. She smiled at him seductively and stroked his chest with her long fingernails before wrapping her hands around his neck and pulling him down on top of her kissing him when their lips met and allowing his kiss to trail down her neck and shoulders to the thin lace which held in her breasts.

They were so desperate to be with each other that it did not last long, after arousing her a little more with gentle biting and nipping through the lace bra Raulph removed the soft black knickers and pushed himself into her swiftly longing to lose himself completely inside her. She groaned deeply and threw back her head as he speeded up within moments and then exploded inside her with a long deep moan which she echoed herself before he fell, shaking and satisfied on top of her, kissing her neck and face furiously and whispering, "I love you," over and over again. It had only been a matter of a few weeks since they had been as one but it seemed like so much longer and as they knew that they had the rest of the weekend to take their time and enjoy it more they were both happy to have been satisfied quickly and deeply this time.

Rolling onto his side and turning her with him Raulph looked deep into her chocolate eyes and whispered in a barely audible voice, "I know we are still young Lily and we have a lot still to do with our lives but I promise you now, I am going to marry you one day."

The smile which lit up her eyes showed him that she felt exactly the same way but also that she understood they were too young to make it official now. However they both also knew that they would never want to be with any other person again, that they had found that special, unbreakable love and that they would keep that special love with them for the rest of their lives.

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